Quinn calls for Secondary system overhaul [insideireland.ie]
- Published: 17 August 2011
Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, has called for a reform of the secondary school system.
It is understood he wants a particular focus on Mathematics.
Teaching unions have expressed concern about the fact that 4,000 of the 58,000 students receiving their Leaving Cert results on Wednesday, had failed the subject.
Mr Quinn has reportedly requested that Minister of State Sean Sherlock look at ways of improving performance in Maths in the short-term.
While next month, the Higher Education Authority will meet the National Council for Curriculum Assessment at a conference to explore the issues in need of reform.
Full Story: www.insideireland.ie
Poor maths and science trend continues in exam results [independent.ie]
- Published: 17 August 2011
Poor maths and science trend continues in exam results
The trend of worryingly poor maths and science results has continued in this year's Leaving Certificate as 57,500 students receive their exam results today.
Large numbers have performed below par in the two fields, with more than 4,500 pupils failing maths and just 16pc of pupils sitting the higher level paper, automatically excluding themselves from many third-level courses linked to the subject.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Share Quinn pledges exam reform amid concern over maths results [eecho.ie]
- Published: 17 August 2011
Quinn pledges exam reform amid concern over maths results
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has vowed to shake up the Leaving Certificate amid concerns that continued poor maths and science results highlight the need for wider reform.
With industry chiefs, teachers, student leaders and education experts questioning the system and near static failure rates, Mr Quinn said new initiatives were already showing positive results.
Full Story: www.eecho.ie
Call for school library funds to be restored [IrishTimes]
- Published: 16 August 2011
THE GOVERNMENT must restore the school library service for its new literacy strategy to work, Ireland’s children’s laureate said yesterday.
Funding for classroom libraries “runs completely counter to the Government strategy on literacy” and “disproportionately affects the children who are most excluded”, Dr Siobhán Parkinson said.
She called on the Government to restore the link between public libraries and primary schools. The last government withdrew the €2 million in funding for the schools library service and claimed it was diverted into school capitation grants.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Department's rigidity over children criticised [IrishTimes]
- Published: 16 August 2011
THE “INFLEXIBILITY” of the Department of Education’s policies when dealing with children and families has been criticised by Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan.
Ms Logan was addressing the Parnell Summer School in Co Wicklow yesterday on the theme of children and equality.
The department set policies and rules and “expect children and families to fit into this nice list of rules”, she said. “If you don’t fit in you might not be entitled to the additional assistance that you need.”
One case involved a child who needed to use a computer due to losing dexterity but who did not fit a specific medical diagnosis on the department’s list and was told he was not entitled to any assistance, she said. “That’s the kind of barriers children and families are up against.”
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
