Proposal to build €49m education campus [IrishTimes]
- Published: 12 July 2011
A PLANNING application has been lodged for a €49 million education and training campus on the 22-acre grounds of a former seminary and secondary school in Cork city.
The proposed new campus at the Farranferris College site on the north side of the city will include three educational buildings, a small retail premises, a two-storey creche, a multi-level car park and 90 dwellings of one to three storeys.
The proposals also include the provision of an all-weather playing field, two play areas and a multi-use games area.
The project is an initiative by the Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley, who is responsible for the site on behalf of the diocese. Dr Buckley has campaigned for many years for a campus for education and training on the north side of the city which will incorporate post-Leaving Certificate courses and training.
Dr Buckley says he has engaged with Cork City Council and is encouraged by their support.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Quinn presses orders over redress shortfall [IrishTimes]
- Published: 11 July 2011
MINISTER FOR Education Ruairí Quinn has insisted he is not “trying to bankrupt” religious institutions by seeking a bigger contribution from them for the €1.3 billion redress bill for clerical abuse victims.
The Government is asking religious congregations named in the Ryan report to transfer ownership of schools to the State to help make up its shortfall. Properties rented to the State may be sought in lieu of cash or other payments.
“I’m not in the business, and nor is the Government, of trying to bankrupt any religious congregation that has an ageing community who don’t have children of their own to pay for nursing home care and provide all the other care . . .
“They gave an awful lot of care to all of us growing up, and I’m one of them. What I’m looking at, in fairness, is how can they come up to the mark,” he told RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Formal complaint over Bus Éireann school contract [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 11 July 2011
PRIVATE coach operators have asked the Competition Authority to investigate the awarding of the school bus contract to Bus Éireann without tender.
The Coach Tourism and Transport Council (CTTC) lodged a formal complaint to the authority in recent days, arguing that the Department of Education’s longstanding arrangement with Bus Eireann was anti-competitive.
The CTTC, which represents 64 independent coach operators in 20 counties, said the state transport company should be made compete for the contract in an open competition with all other interested bus and coach firms.
Govt launches new literacy and numeracy campaign [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 11 July 2011
Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has unveiled a new strategy for the country's education system that is designed to boost the literacy and numeracy skills of Irish children.
As a key part of the government's programme, it has set out ambitious targets to be achieved by 2020, including increasing the number of primary school pupils performing at the highest level by five percentage points and halving the numbers achieving only the lowest level.
One part of the proposals will see the number of subjects taken by Junior Certificate students limited to eight, including English, Irish and maths.
This will allow more time to be allocated to key literacy and numeracy skills and for more in-depth learning across the subjects.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
Quinn unveils plan to transform maths and reading [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 July 2011
PRIMARY pupils are to spend more time on reading and maths as part of a new strategy to raise literacy and numeracy standards.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn yesterday unveiled plans designed to transform the "average" ranking of Irish 15-year-olds in basic skills.
Maths has been a weak point for years, while a plunge in the performance of Irish students in the international OECD PISA reading test, and recent Department of Education inspector reports highlighting poor teaching practice in some primary classrooms have also given causes for concern.
The new National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy includes a greater focus on teacher quality and more assessments of students to measure standards.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
