Exam authority urged to improve quality of papers [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 13 July 2011
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has been urged to improve the quality control checks for its papers after a number of errors over the past few years.
More than 70 mistakes have been identified in Leaving Certificate papers in the last three years, the body acknowledged, with accountancy exams the most likely to be wrong, with ten faults spotted.
Labour TD Michael McCarthy said the situation must be improved and called for better controls to be put in place to ensure such mistakes are reduced.
"If we are serious about educating the younger generation to a high standard, we must enforce a tighter quality control assurance process in terms of how we prepare and plan state-run exams," he said.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
DES Circular 0045/2011 [education.ie]
- Published: 13 July 2011
A lesson in school transport [IrishTimes]
- Published: 13 July 2011
REARVIEW: ON AN ALMOST daily basis, another Government minister is out saying something like “the country is broke, we have lost our sovereignty”.
It is usually a precursor to him or her justifying some new cut or other. Recently, Minister of State for Education Ciarán Cannon faced an angry group of parents in Co Kerry who were concerned at cuts to the school transport scheme which will see new charges for parents and the dropping of some routes.
The Government points out that savings to the €180 million spent annually on getting kids to and from school are required. I got a bill for €400 last week; €50 for my son in primary and €350 for my son who is starting secondary school (even though the two schools are within walking distance of each other).
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Independents criticise special needs provisions [IrishTimes]
- Published: 13 July 2011
A COUNTY Kildare school whose number of special needs assistants were cut, asked a parent not to send their child to school because they “couldn’t be accommodated safely in that environment”, Independent TD Catherine Murphy told the Dáil.
“That’s a disgrace,” she said, highlighting the crisis in special needs assistance. “There are things that just have to be safeguarded and that kind of situation just simply can’t be allowed to continue.” Ms Murphy, a TD for Kildare North, said the “voices of parents, teachers, special needs assistants and other resource providers together with experts must all play a part in designing the service”.
She was introducing a Private Members’ debate by Independent TDs, calling for a reversal of the 10 per cent cut in resource hours; the development of a centrally led approach to educational support that included parents as educational partners; the establishment of a system of accreditation so special needs assistants could train and qualify as learning support assistants; and the introduction of an independent appeals process.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Outside In [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 13 July 2011
I am sure I look back on my own childhood through very rose-tinted glasses, but I do have some great memories of school summer holidays spent roaming around in friend’s gardens, going for endless bike
rides, paddling in streams and generally being outside.
Perhaps everyone is on a beach somewhere and forgot to invite me, but the streets around where I live are deserted – and it’s actually sunny this week. Where are all the kids, I ask myself?
It would seem that the school summer holidays are now almost more organised than term time with summer camps and activity days shoe-horned into every possible moment of the week. Perhaps that’s where all the kids are; learning how to make things with tissue paper or navigating obstacle courses.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
