USI warns of election backlash on fees [independent.ie]
- Published: 07 April 2009
Source: independent.ie
By Katherine Donnelly
Tuesday April 07 2009
THE Government faces a ballot box backlash from students in the European and local elections if they re-introduce fees.
Union of Students in Ireland president Shane Kelly said they were taking a stand and they wanted the Government to know that "we are not to be messed with".
He told the USI annual conference that a voter registration and mobilisation drive among students would be launched in the next fortnight.
"We will be telling all 200,000 members to vote against the Government parties, and that includes the Greens," he said.
"It is only when we demonstrate our ability to deliver our members to the ballot box that we will stop being seen as an easy target," he added.
Mr Kelly said this year had seen an unprecedented attack on students, and Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe's plans to re-introduce third-level fees was a "rather poor attempt to cover up a decade of under-investment in higher education".
He said that, since tuition fees were abolished in 1996, Ireland had witnessed a surge in the numbers entering third-level education.
He said the cost of college in Ireland had been put at €38,000 for a four-year degree, which did not include this year's €600 increase in the so-called registration fee, which brought the total charge to €1,500.
Mr Kelly said Ireland's long- term recovery would need graduates and greater investment in education at all levels.
He called for incentives for post-graduate education to encourage graduates to remain in the country, increase their skill base and prepare to take full advantage when the recession ended.
- Katherine Donnelly
O'Keeffe creating climate of fear over fees, say students [independent.ie]
- Published: 06 April 2009
Source: independent.ie
By John Walshe
Monday April 06 2009
EDUCATION Minister Batt O'Keeffe was last night accused of creating a climate of fear among students by delaying a decision on the reintroduction of tuition fees.
A decision had been promised around now but has now been put off until later this month at the earliest.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said last night that the uncertainty was creating a climate of fear among potential students and their parents.
Union president Shane Kelly said the delay in taking a decision was very unhelpful.
The minister had created the anxieties when he first "flew the fees kite" last August and this had continued ever since, he said.
"The political reality is now beginning to dawn on the Government that families who have negative equity on their homes and are losing jobs cannot afford fees," Mr Kelly added.
The union is strongly opposed to fees and will discuss its campaign at the annual USI congress, which opens today in Bettystown, Co Meath.
The Irish Independent has learned that, so far, no formal proposal has been put by Mr O'Keeffe to the Cabinet.
The options raised informally range from the straightforward return of fees next year to a graduate payment of some kind. Students who enrol this September will be affected from September 2010 by whatever change is made.
Although he has yet to make up his mind, the minister is expected to opt for a combination of both fees and graduate repayments. He has insisted that he will take a "family-friendly" approach.
A final cabinet meeting will be held today before tomorrow's emergency Budget; however, sources said the minister's proposals would not be ready in time.
They also said the Cabinet would prefer to wait and see what the reaction was like to the Budget before taking any decision on a contribution by students to their college education.
- John Walshe
O'Keeffe in last-minute change to school list [Examiner]
- Published: 06 April 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
[Source: Examiner.ie]
THE power to hold inquiries into teachers who breach conduct rules and remove their authority to work in schools will soon be handed over to the profession's self-regulation body.
Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe told members of the Teaching Council yesterday that he will soon commence the part of the 2001 Teaching Council Act that allows these powers.
The council was formally established three years ago and the main focus of its work to date has been to ensure all qualified teachers are properly registered with it. The number registered now stands at more than 64,000 and the council arranged for more than 6,200 new entrants to the profession to undergo Garda vetting in the past year.
Mr O'Keeffe told council members their role in relation to fitness-to-practise will be of particular importance.
"This will present challenges for the council but I'm confident that you will rise to these and place the interests of the public good and the welfare of our children above all other considerations," he said.
Teaching Council chief executive Áine Lawlor said the move was requested some time ago.
"The council has been preparing for its role in the area of fitness to teach and has researched current practice in other professional bodies in Ireland and in teaching councils in other jurisdictions," she said.
The minister's action will give the council power to take a role in cases of professional misconduct and teaching competence, only after all other avenues are exhausted. New procedures to deal with under-performing teachers were recently agreed by the Department of Education with unions and school managers.
But where matters are not resolved satisfactorily under those procedures, the Teaching Council's investigating committee will have power to hold inquiries into claims of a registered teacher breaching education legislation, engaging in professional misconduct, being registered falsely or fraudulently or medically unfit to teach.
Up to now, less than a handful of teachers are dismissed every year, but greater professional and personal supports are also available in recent years.
The Teaching Council's investigative committee will have power to refer cases to a disciplinary committee, which may remove or suspend someone from the register, effectively meaning they cannot be employed in an Irish school.
It can also decide that a teacher must receive health or professional support in order to stay on the register.
The role of the council will be similar in many respects to that of the Medical Council and An Bord Altranais, as regulators of doctors and nurses respectively.
However, unlike the Medical Council which has mostly non-medical membership, most of the Teaching Council's 37 members are teachers elected by their peers.
Teachers' body to get beefed-up powers [Examiner]
- Published: 06 April 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
[Source: Examiner.ie]
THE power to hold inquiries into teachers who breach conduct rules and remove their authority to work in schools will soon be handed over to the profession's self-regulation body.
Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe told members of the Teaching Council yesterday that he will soon commence the part of the 2001 Teaching Council Act that allows these powers.
The council was formally established three years ago and the main focus of its work to date has been to ensure all qualified teachers are properly registered with it. The number registered now stands at more than 64,000 and the council arranged for more than 6,200 new entrants to the profession to undergo Garda vetting in the past year.
Mr O'Keeffe told council members their role in relation to fitness-to-practise will be of particular importance.
"This will present challenges for the council but I'm confident that you will rise to these and place the interests of the public good and the welfare of our children above all other considerations," he said.
Teaching Council chief executive Áine Lawlor said the move was requested some time ago.
"The council has been preparing for its role in the area of fitness to teach and has researched current practice in other professional bodies in Ireland and in teaching councils in other jurisdictions," she said.
The minister's action will give the council power to take a role in cases of professional misconduct and teaching competence, only after all other avenues are exhausted. New procedures to deal with under-performing teachers were recently agreed by the Department of Education with unions and school managers.
But where matters are not resolved satisfactorily under those procedures, the Teaching Council's investigating committee will have power to hold inquiries into claims of a registered teacher breaching education legislation, engaging in professional misconduct, being registered falsely or fraudulently or medically unfit to teach.
Up to now, less than a handful of teachers are dismissed every year, but greater professional and personal supports are also available in recent years.
The Teaching Council's investigative committee will have power to refer cases to a disciplinary committee, which may remove or suspend someone from the register, effectively meaning they cannot be employed in an Irish school.
It can also decide that a teacher must receive health or professional support in order to stay on the register.
The role of the council will be similar in many respects to that of the Medical Council and An Bord Altranais, as regulators of doctors and nurses respectively.
However, unlike the Medical Council which has mostly non-medical membership, most of the Teaching Council's 37 members are teachers elected by their peers.
Pupils face having support with learning English halved [Examiner]
- Published: 06 April 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
[Source: Examiner.ie]
SOME 180 pupils are in danger of having their support with learning English halved next year under an education cutback finalised last week.
St Oliver's National School in Killarney has 660 pupils, including 180 of 28 different nationalities, who have help from six language support teachers because their first language is not English. But principal Rory Darcy fears that, with 10 extra children with English as an additional language (EAL) likely to be enrolled next year, the impact will be enormous.
"Under the new staffing arrangements from the Department of Education, we would lose three of those teachers.
"The EAL pupils spend an average 40 minutes a day with them this year, but that could be cut in half from September if our appeal is not successful," he said.
For the past three years, schools have been entitled to a full-time language support teacher for every 14 pupils in this category, capped at six teachers. But Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe announced in the budget last October that he was re-imposing a cap of two language support teachers per school, except for those with very high numbers of EAL students.
Finalised details sent to schools by his department last week set out that schools may keep some of these staff. However, it will be determined not just by EAL student numbers, but also by the number of years they have been receiving this support.
"We had our staff trained earlier this year to assess those needs and they finished the testing, which showed we would still need six language support teachers next year. But now that's being ignored and under the latest rules, we would lose three of them," Mr Darcy said.
"This is going to affect all 700 schools with international pupils, and not just ones with big numbers like ourselves. Because the allocations are weighted on more than numbers, schools with two language support teachers for 30 EAL children this year might not even have one in September," he said.
The circular letter sent to schools last week indicates that schools' international children that make up more than a quarter of all enrolled pupils will be entitled to appeal their allocations.
Mr O'Keeffe's spokesperson said schools can apply based on their assessment of the prospective needs of existing pupils and any new children who will be enrolled for the next school year.
"We envisage having more than 1,400 language support teachers in our schools in September 2009 and up to about 500 other teachers in part-time posts. By any standards, this is a very significant resource and the challenge will be to ensure that it is used to maximum effect," he said.
At the time of the budget, the minister said the language support limits would result in the loss of about 500 jobs.
