'Thousands of families a day' seek assistance with back to school costs [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 11 August 2011
Many families may be looking to take advantage of government support schemes to help them meet their back to school costs.
According to the Irish Examiner, more than 1,700 households a day are applying for aid from the state.
In the first three weeks since the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance was opened on July 1st, the Department of Social Protection received 40,500 applications.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
Turning a problem into an opportunity [Independent.ie]
- Published: 11 August 2011
Why Springboard offers a chance to make a start on a new career
THERE is an old saying about not letting a crisis go to waste. It is advice worth heeding for the many thousands of people who lost their jobs in recent years.
Three in four of the almost 450,000 people who are now unemployed have never been out of work before. Many have educational qualifications, from Leaving Certificate up to degree level, and were in highly skilled, well-paid jobs.
Crisis is not too strong a term for what they would have felt in becoming unemployed in the middle of a deep recession.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Leaving Cert chaos looms as teachers rush to retire [herald.ie]
- Published: 11 August 2011
Leaving Cert chaos looms as teachers rush to retire
THOUSANDS of Leaving Cert students are set to suffer serious exam chaos with a mass exodus of teachers just weeks before their exams.
Around 1,000 teachers will retire by February after a major botch up by the Department of Education.
The retirements -- just 12 weeks before the Leaving Cert -- will come half way through the school year in order for retirees to safeguard their pension entitlements.
Full Story: www.herald.ie
Classroom chaos must be avoided [herald.ie]
- Published: 11 August 2011
Classroom chaos must be avoided
THE education system could lose more than 1,000 teachers before February, just 12 weeks before the Leaving Cert starts.
Our story today reveals that senior teachers are likely to retire before this date next year to save their pension entitlements being cut.
Such a mass exodus could leave thousands of students without a teacher who would have spent 18 months preparing them for exams.
Full Story: www.herald.ie
Private firms say Bus Éireann misusing school transport funds [irishtimes.com]
- Published: 11 August 2011
Private firms say Bus Éireann misusing school transport funds
A GROUP of private bus companies has asked the Dáil Public Accounts Committee to examine whether Bus Éireann and the State are misusing school transport funds.
The Coach Tourism and Transport Council said the failure of the State to put the school transport contract out to tender breaches State and EU rules. It also claimed Bus Éireann was using school transport funds to subsidise other services. The Department of Education and Bus Éireann deny the allegations.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
