School patronage: The end of the beginning and a long way to go [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 25 June 2011
THE National Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector is the body charged with mapping out the future of the country’s 3,200 primary schools.
It was set up by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn to advise him on how to proceed with the reconfiguration of patronage for the primary school sector. Currently, the Catholic Church controls around 92% of schools.
The Church hierarchy has acknowledged that the new reality of Irish society requires they divest themselves of some of these schools. How many, and which schools, is a serious bone of contention.
Quinn has indicated he thinks up to 50% of schools should be divested by the Church. The bishops believe 10% to be a more appropriate figure. Therein lies a potential battle.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
No block to non-religious schools, department tells forum [IrishTimes]
- Published: 25 June 2011
THE ESTABLISHMENT of non-denominational schools was “never an issue in recent years” at the Department of Education, secretary general Brigid McManus told the forum yesterday. She said being “non-denominational was no block” to the setting up of schools.
Ms McManus was responding to a question from Prof John Coolahan, chair of the advisory group which questioned all stakeholders at the forum.
He asked whether it was “permissible to establish a non-denominational school now”.
She said in discussions with the department, Catholic Church authorities had indicated “three or four” areas in the State where it would consider divesting patronage to another body. She felt, however, this process had possibly been stalled by the existence of the forum itself.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
State to act if school handovers are delayed [Independent.ie]
- Published: 25 June 2011
THE Department of Education warned yesterday that it would take action on the divesting of schools if there was a delay in reaching agreement on a handover from Catholic-run schools to different patrons.
Department Secretary-General Brigid McManus said there was an "urgent" need within certain communities to give a choice to parents who had shown in sufficient numbers that they wanted an alternative.
In the absence of speedy agreement, the State would have to meet its obligations in relation to balancing rights and "find some way to address it", she said.
Ms McManus was speaking at the Forum on Pluralism and Patronage, which is examining ways to increase choice in primary education to meet the growing demand for cultural and religious diversity.
The forum's brief includes advising on how to divest some of the 90pc of Catholic-run schools to other patrons. It is also exploring how small schools in rural communities, which will not change patrons, can provide greater diversity.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Teacher Redeployment [into.ie]
- Published: 24 June 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
Statement by Sheila Nunan, INTO General Secretary, on Teacher Redeployment ?
Thousands of temporary posts in primary schools to be filled.
The INTO welcomed the announcement today that over eight hundred permanent teachers have already been redeployed to other primary schools. As a result, schools have been cleared by the Department of Education and Skills to fill thousands of temporary vacancies. However, larger schools must still not fill a small number of temporary posts for the time being. Up to today there was a ban on filling any temporary job because of the need to firstly redeploy permanent teachers.
The union said most redeployment panels were now cleared or only have a small number of teachers awaiting redeployment.
According to the union this is good news for temporary teachers because schools are now free to offer significant numbers of temporary or fixed term posts.
Permanent jobs will still have to be filled firstly from the main redeployment panel which is made up of permanent teachers whose jobs are no longer warranted in their schools. This year hundreds of additional teachers have had to redeploy because of government cutbacks.
Full Story: www.into.ie
Ministers Quinn and Bruton Launch New International Brand for Education in Ireland [enterprise-ireland.com]
- Published: 24 June 2011
The Minister for Education and Skills Mr Ruairí Quinn T.D. and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mr. Richard Bruton T.D. today (24/03/2011) jointly launched “Education in Ireland” - the new umbrella brand for marketing the Irish higher education and the English Language Sectors internationally. The new brand is one of the commitments in the Programme for a National Government 2011-2016.
The Minister for Education and Skills Mr Ruairí Quinn T.D. and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mr. Richard Bruton T.D. today (24/03/2011) jointly launched “Education in Ireland” - the new umbrella brand for marketing the Irish higher education and the English Language Sectors internationally. The new brand is one of the commitments in the Programme for a National Government 2011-2016.
The drive to promote Irish education abroad, which is led by Enterprise Ireland, aims to double the number of international students studying in Irish higher education institutes 2015. Around 26,000 international students currently undertake third level education in Ireland. The combined value of third level and English language international education in Ireland is estimated to be currently worth €900m to the Irish economy.
However, the strategic imperative to promote Irish education internationally goes deeper than immediate economic benefits such as increased spending by international students in our economy. The internationalisation of Irish education is seen as a critical element to support Ireland’s international trading relationships and export-led economy.
Full Story: www.enterprise-ireland.com
