School drop out rate improves - CSO [IrishTimes]
- Published: 14 December 2011
Some 9 per cent of those aged between 18 and 24 left school after the Junior Cert, according to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The survey found unemployment among this group was double that of those who completed the Leaving Cert and/or third level. It also found that only 21 per cent of early school leavers are in employment.
The CSO survey says the drop out rate from Irish schools has improved from 13 per cent in 2004; it is now at the EU average. But the drop out rate among boys remains relatively high at 11 per cent.
Overall, the survey points to increasing educational attainment among most Irish adults. It also shows a clear link between educational background and employment status.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
In My Opinion: We must respect human rights of parents who want secular schools [Independent.ie]
- Published: 14 December 2011
Most of the 3,300 primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are run by church patrons, about 97pc by the Catholic Church. These schools use an integrated curriculum, in which Catholic teaching permeates every subject.
They are legally allowed to discriminate on religious grounds, and it is often impossible for parents to opt their children out of religious instruction. Soon, the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism will advise Education Minister Ruairi Quinn on how to ensure a more diverse range of school patrons.
On the surface the forum seems to be moving in the right direction, but its interim report proposed a gradual approach that will not in practice vindicate the rights of non-religious parents. In particular, the forum does not seem to appreciate the legal obligation to respect the human rights of parents who want a secular education for their children.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Diary of a Schoolteacher: Now for today's lesson: how my first girlfriend made me a better teacher [Independent.ie]
- Published: 14 December 2011
One of the most important things for all teachers to remember is that, from where we are standing, teenagers are alien creatures. A simple trip down memory lane is enough to bring this home for me, as yesterday, in a rare quiet moment, I was reminded of the time over 20 years ago when I was a third year, in the November before my Inter Cert, and my grandfather passed away.
Yet what I remember best is not the grief I experienced at this death in the family. What I recall feeling, back then when my grandfather had been mortally ill and then died, was the very public humiliation to my fragile ego of having gone out with a girl for the grand total of just five days.
On the Saturday after walking my brand new first girlfriend back from the disco, I had gone to kiss her and missed completely as she unexpectedly moved away. I never recovered from the mortification. By the following Wednesday, at 5pm after school, she had dumped me and gone to meet my replacement in the form of a rugby-playing fifth year, and by that very evening they were crouching, touching and engaging with each other.
For a brief moment, the present version of me remembered that skinny but relatively callous eejit I used to be and remembered once more what teenagers consider important.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
EduBills is on a mission to help schools go cashless [siliconrepublic.com]
- Published: 13 December 2011
Irish start-up EduBills has come up with an inventive way to take cash out of the equation when parents are paying for their children’s schoolbooks, uniforms and supplies.
Founded in 2010 by Sandra Maguire, EduBills is one of the 12 start-ups that are launching as part of DCU's 12 Days of Christmas initiative.
It was while she was working in a primary school back in 2010 that Mcguire saw a niche for an online payment system that would take away some of the hassle when parents and caregivers are paying school bills or purchasing books.
As well as this, from a school's perspective, she felt that such an online system would also reduce administrative costs, making it a win-win for everybody.
Disadvantaged schools 'to be hit hard' by Budget [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 13 December 2011
Some of the most disadvantaged primary schools in the country are set to see the largest impact of funding cuts announced in last week's Budget, one teachers' union has warned.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said such establishments would be "devastated" by the planned austerity measures, the Journal reports.
It claimed that hidden away in the details of the cuts are proposals that will see hundreds of educators in disadvantaged facilities reallocated, with many of these going to schools in better off areas.
General secretary of INTO Sheila Nunan said that "teachers are frontline when it comes to services to disadvantaged children" and called on Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn to rethink the proposals.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
