PTR move 'puts school subjects at risk' [examiner.ie]
- Published: 04 August 2011
PTR move 'puts school subjects at risk'
Schools will be forced to drop subjects if proposals to increase class sizes to save money go ahead, it has been warned.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland said the education sector was already seriously underfunded and could not afford further cuts, branding it a nonsense.
Department of Education officials are examining a range of cost-cutting proposals ahead of December’s budget, including adding an extra child to each class.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
Schools will drop subjects if class sizes increased [independent.ie]
- Published: 04 August 2011
Schools will drop subjects if class sizes increased
Schools will be forced to drop subjects if proposals to increase class sizes to save money go ahead, it has been warned.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland said the education sector was already seriously underfunded and could not afford further cuts, branding it a nonsense.
Department of Education officials are examining a range of cost-cutting proposals ahead of December's budget aimed at saving €75m, including adding an extra child to each class.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Families in need of back-to-school support failing to qualify for allowance, survey finds [IrishTimes]
- Published: 03 August 2011
STRICT CRITERIA surrounding back-to-school allowances are excluding families who need them, according to the children’s charity Barnardos.
In its annual school costs survey, the organisation estimates the average cost of sending a child to junior infants this year is €350, rising to €805 for a student starting secondary school.
Despite the recession, the majority of respondents to the survey of more than 500 parents said that this represented a rise in costs.
“My husband is unemployed and I am on minimum wage, yet we still don’t qualify for the [back-to-school clothing and footwear] allowance,” one parent quoted in the survey said. “It’s disgraceful it is so hard to make sure our children are provided for.”
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
17 new schools to open as pupil numbers soar [Independent.ie]
- Published: 03 August 2011
SOARING pupil numbers will see the opening of 14 new second-level schools in 2013 and 2014, on top of three already announced, writes Katherine Donnelly.
Most of the schools will be built in the Dublin commuter belt that includes Louth, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Wexford.
The Department of Education yesterday announced the location of four new schools to open in 2013: Lusk, Co Dublin; Claregalway, Co Galway; Naas, Co Kildare; and Navan, Co Meath.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Extra €4.6m set aside for parents struggling to afford uniforms [Independent.ie]
- Published: 03 August 2011
THE Department of Social Protection has set aside an extra €4.6m this year to help families buy clothes and shoes for the new school term.
That is because they expect a surge in the number of applications for social welfare benefits to fund back-to-school costs.
About 160,000 families are expected to apply for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance this summer ahead of the start of the new school year in September.
In 2009, there were 140,000 applications for the allowance.
The Department of Social Protection has confirmed to the Irish Independent that one reason for the allocation of extra funding to the clothing and footwear allowance is to cover a projected increase in the number of children needing help.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
