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Amhras léirithe faoi shuirbhéanna ar phátrúnacht

December 21, 2012

Tá sé ráite ag an bhForas Pátrúnachta gur gá a bheith ‘staidéartha’ i leith torthaí na tuairisce a d’fhoilsigh an Roinn Oideachais an tseachtain seo caite faoi phátrúnacht ar scoileanna.

Dúirt Caoimhín Ó hEarra, Ard-Rúnaí ma heagraíochta: “Is léir go bhfuil tuismitheoirí ag lorg rogha oideachais dá bpáistí agus tá súil againn tríd an bpróiseas go mbeidh oideachas lánGhaeilge á chur ar fáil i gceantair nach bhfuil i láthair na huaire.”

Dhírigh an suirbhé píolótach ar chúig cheantar ar leith; an tInbhear Mór, Caisleán an Bharraigh, an Trá Mhór, Baile Átha Troim agus Fionnbhrú.  Ghlac 1,788 tuismitheoir a raibh leanaí réamhscoile agus bunscoile acu páirt sna suirbhéanna i mí Dheireadh Fómhair.

Léirigh idir 10% agus 21% gurbh fhearr leo oideachas lánGhaeilge dá bpáistí.  Tá Gaelscoileanna sna cúig cheantar cheana féin agus dúirt an tuairisc gur féidir leo freastal ar an éileamh reatha don Ghaelscolaíocht.

Mhaígh Ó hEaghra go raibh laigeachtaí ag baint leis an suirbhé de bharr líon íseal na dtuismitheoirí a ghlac páirt ann.  “Os rud é go raibh scoileanna lánGhaeilge sna ceantair sin is léir go raibh tuismitheoirí chun dul i dtreo an rogha nach raibh ar fáil ina gceantar,” ar seisean.

“Is ábhar imní é nach bhfuil léargas níos iomláine á fháil ar mhianta tuismitheoirí.  Bhí an suirbhé ag díriú ar phátrúnacht, ar shainspiorad spioradálta na scoile agus ar theanga na scoile ach ba léir go ndearna na meáin Bhéarla neamhaird ar cheist na teanga agus iad ag clúdach an tsuirbhé i rith an phróisis,” a dúirt sé.

Léirigh an tAthair Micheal Drumm, as Comhpháirtíocht na Scoileanna Caitliceacha amhras i dtaobh na bhfigiúirí chomh maith.  Dúirt sé nach dtugann na figiúirí sa suirbhé léargas ceart ar thuairimí tuismitheoirí an cheantair agus d’iarr sé ar an Roinn Oideachais na figiúirí a chur i gcomhthéacs mór-phobail scoile an cheantair.

Tá an Roinn Oideachais chun suirbhé níos forleithne a dhéanamh sa bhliain úr in 38 ceantar eile.  Dar leis an bhForas Pátrúnachta beidh torthaí éagsúla ar an tuairisc mar go mbeidh ceantair atá gan soláthar gaelscoile san áireamh.

“Tá sé curtha in iúl ag an bhForas Pátrúnachta ó thosaigh an próiseas seo gur fhás scoileanna lánGhaeilge ó éileamh na dtuismitheoirí,” arsa Ó hEaghra.

“Go stairiúil, tosaíonn siad beag ach nuair a thuigeann an pobal áitiúil na buntáistí a bhaineann le hoideachas lánGhaeilge tagann fás agus borradh ar scoileanna.

“Ina theannta sin, tá gá le hardú feasachta i measc an phobail go ginearálta maidir le buntáistí oideachas dátheangach,” ar seisean.

www.gaelsceal.ie
Foilsithe ar 19 Nollaig 2012

RTÉ’s Irish Language Policy Submissions

December 20, 2012

RTÉ is framing a policy on the Irish Language. RTÉ’s Working Group on Irish Language Policy for RTÉ wants to hear from you. What kind of Irish-language media do you want from RTÉ? Remember that TG4 is a station which exists because Irish speakers fought for it, it’s role is seperate to RTÉ 1+2 in relation to language. Your comments should therefore be in relation to RTÉ’s use of Irish on RTÉ 1+2.

You can submit general comments to teanga@rte.ie , reference: Irish Language Policy for RTÉ. The extended closing date for receipt of comments is Friday 21 December.

Please find link to document below:

http://www.rte.ie/documents/about/a-proposed-strategy-for-rtes-irish-language-output.pdf

Gaeilge Locha Riach

Tel: 091 870718

Email: oifig@lochariach.com

www.lochariach.com

Christmas Gifts

December 20, 2012

Christmas gifts from Gaeilge Locha Riach office:

  • Bilingual Calendar 2013 by East Galway Family History Society Co. Ltd. 1x €7; 2x €10
  • Irish Alphabet – Jigsaw with Letters, Words and Pictures – €17
  • Presidents of Ireland Jigsaw – €14
  • Christmas Colouring Book – €4

Poster of Christmas gifts

Tel: 091 870718

Email: oifig@lochariach.com

www.lochariach.com

Scléip 2013 – Dates for your diary

December 19, 2012

Changing school patronage

December 19, 2012

Sir, – The extremely low participation in the survey on school patronage is not surprising. Every effort was made to keep this survey as low key as possible.

The online survey received very little coverage in the media and information on the Department of Education website presented so many different options and possibilities that it would seem that the vast majority of parents just decided that the best thing to do would be nothing at all. As predicted only those who are fanatical about change voted.

According to your article, (“School Patronage survey queried”, Home News, December 14th) just 4 per cent (parents of 80 children out of a school population of 1,965 in Arklow) voted for change. The Department of Education is releasing only the figures for those who have voted for change and not the exact statistics on the percentage of parents who participated. Mini ster for Education Ruairí Quinn has said results in the five pilot areas show a “strong demand for change”.

Yet Fr Michael Drumm of the Catholic Schools Partnership says, “Those who expressed an opinion in favour of change amount in each of the five areas to less than 10 per cent of parents”.

Who is right; and is the department going to act on the whim of such a small minority? May I remind Mr Quinn that when only 35 per cent of the electorate voted on the Nice treaty in 2001 we were told that we would have to vote again. Even when 53 per cent voted on the Lisbon Treaty in 2008 we were told that because we did not understand the issues we would have to vote again.

We pride ourselves on our democracy, but to impose the biggest change in primary education since the setting up of the national schools on the basis of such a slender minority vote would be dictatorial and not democratic.

– Yours, etc,

AM KEHOE,
Roselawn Road, Castleknock, Dublin 15.

www.irishtimes.com

Neamhchinnteacht maidir le todhchaí eagraíochtaí Gaeilge

December 19, 2012

Cinneadh ar bith faoi mhaoiniú an Fhorais

December 19, 2012

Ní leanann Foras na Gaeilge na rialacha atá acu féin

December 19, 2012

‘We need to review the time spent on certain subjects’

December 18, 2012

Pupils in a number of countries are performing significantly above Irish students

‘Good, but could do better,” seems to be the verdict of two major international reports on pupil achievement published last week. They showed fourth-class pupils in primary schools achieving well in reading, mathematics and science. In all three areas, Irish pupils scored significantly above the international average.

In the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011), Irish students were ranked 10th out of 45 participating countries. Students in only five places performed significantly better than Irish students: Hong Kong, Finland, Singapore, the Russian Federation and Northern Ireland.

Irish students scored significantly above the international average in both maths and science in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2011). Ireland was placed 17th in maths and 22nd in science out of the 50 participating countries.

Of course, pencil and paper tests don’t tell us everything about what children are learning in school, but it is an important part of our Literacy and Numeracy Strategy that we should benchmark the performance of Irish students against that of students in other countries. Until now, we have had no such indicators at primary level and so the TIMSS and PIRLS reports are significant and welcome.

Even though these are just one set of test results, it’s encouraging to see Irish students do so well in international comparisons. It is particularly good to see Ireland having substantially lower proportions of poorer-performing students in both reading and maths than in other countries. The efforts that we have put into our DEIS programme to support schools serving areas of disadvantage, and the special needs resources that we have deployed in all schools, are having a positive effect.

But it’s my duty not to be complacent.

Pupils in a number of countries are performing significantly above Irish students in all three tests. So, there is still work to be done to raise standards in Irish schools.Our neighbours in Northern Ireland have achieved significantly better results in mathematics, for example, and students in many countries are scoring much better in science.

The comprehensive programme laid out in the National Literacy and Numeracy strategy has the range of measures that we need to improve reading and maths standards. We have made a good start. Teacher education is being reformed. Schools are working to improve instruction, assessment and reporting to parents. The introduction of school self-evaluation and the improvements we have made to the inspection of schools are further important supports for better learning.

TIMSS and PIRLS demonstrate that we must continue this work. The good progress achieved by students in reading at primary level must be built upon in all primary schools and also at second level. I have prioritised English in the reform of Junior Cycle and work is well underway in the implementation of the literacy and numeracy strategy in many second-level schools.

However, the inspectorate’s report on the implementation of DEIS at post-primary level showed considerable weaknesses in the targeting of DEIS initiatives in post-primary schools and we need to improve this aspect of our work.

The areas of weakness in maths among Irish pupils shown up in TIMSS – such as reasoning, shape and measures – are precisely the areas shown as weak in our national assessments at primary level. It’s not surprising that the weaknesses in maths at primary level are also evident at post-primary level. These are among the areas targeted for change in Project Maths. Indeed, these issues point to the need for higher standards of mathematical understanding among all teachers – a key aim of the changes we are making to teachers’ professional development.

TIMSS also challenges us to think about the importance we attach to different aspects of the curriculum. The performance of students in science is somewhat disappointing, although Irish students are above the international average. One underlying reason may be the lack of science skills among primary-school teachers, but the TIMSS study shows that Irish pupils spend considerably less time on science than pupils in other countries.

I have asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to review the recommended time allocations for all subjects in the primary school.

I look forward to the inclusive debate that we must have on this issue for the future good of all our young people.

http://www.irishtimes.com

Foilsithe ar 18 Nollaig 2012

What will happen in education in 2013?

December 18, 2012

It’s time to find out who in education has been naughty or nice and how the New Year will look in the classroom

22% Percentage of Leaving Cert students who sat higher-level maths this year – the highest on record.

66,891 Total number of applications for student grants to new SUSI. Only 20,589 have been processed to date.

€ 30,702 Salary of new entrants to teaching. In 2010, it was more than ¤39,000.

From page 6 There will be increasing speculation about Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn’s future.

Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn can reflect on 2012 with quiet satisfaction. Key elements of his reform programme, such as changes to the Junior Cert and school patronage, are up and running. Further reforms are planned.

The Minister, now aged 66, insists he is there for the long haul, all the way to the next election. But it’s been a long time since any education minister completed five years in Marlborough Street. Quinn is the fifth person to hold the portfolio since 2004. With a Cabinet reshuffle due in September after the EU presidency, there is already speculation that Richard Bruton could move to education, although surely Labour would would want to retain the education portfolio?

Quinn, a distinguished former president of Ecofin-EU finance ministers, will also be linked to the EU commissioner post which falls vacant next summer. Labour has never held the post and a heavy hitter such as Quinn would secure a very senior post; and that could be important in key discussions on our debt burden. So will Quinn be in education this time next year? No one, least of all the Minister himself, is sure

With Quinn unlikely to contest the next election, there will also be pressure from some in the party to move on.

So will Quinn be in education this time next year? No one, least of all the Minister himself, is sure.

What’s certain is there will be a wave of speculation about his future. The hope must be that it will not derail or slow down his reform agenda.

Northern Ireland will become the new Finland.

For year we have looked north to Finland for education’s promised land. But the latest international rankings for primary schools suggest that the promised land may actually be up the road.

Northern Ireland is among the elite performers in both reading and maths where it significantly outperformed the Republic.

Its secret? A concerted move to boost standards in literacy and numeracy and radical reform of teacher education.

The good news is that similar reforms are already under way south of the Border.

There will be speculation about a new working contract for teachers as part of Croke Park Two.

It has been a good year in hard times for the teacher unions, the INTO, Asti and the TUI. Croke Park has protected pay, conditions and jobs, except for new entrants, and there has been no increase in class size for most schools. But there are already signs the Government is targeting the working conditions of teachers, especially at second level where teachers work 167 days a year.

It may be that the Government will press for a new teaching contract where second level teachers are required to be on the school premises during office hours every day. There could also be changes to arrangements for oral exam and much else.

President Higgins will become even more outspoken on education.

The President launched a number of thinly veiled attacks on the “pro-business” agenda of the UCD president, Hugh Brady, and other university leaders in 2012. Expect more robust comments as the Government targets academic working hours and performance-related pay in Croke Park Two.

Opposition to the new Junior Cert will stiffen among teachers.

While change to the Junior Cert has received a hugely positive response from educationalists and commentators, it’s viewed with suspicion by many rank and file teachers. There are fears the new exam gives an advantage to better resourced schools and fails to prepare students for a high stakes Leaving Cert exam. Clearly, the Department of Education has still to make the case for change to the ordinary teacher.

Expect this issue to dominate the Easter teacher conferences of Asti and the TUI.

Waterford will secure a new technological university.

Combined efforts by Brendan Howlin and Phil Hogan will help deliver the new technological university for Waterford, despite the scepticism of some in the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority.

Little evidence of real collaboration between the universities will emerge, despite their commitment to do so.

Two outstanding HEA reports this year exposed one glaring truth – the seven universities are run like proud, independent fiefdoms. They have no great appetite for pooling resources. Next year, various reports will back regional clusters, deeper collaboration and the rest, but the universities will be slow to change.

Here’s a forecast: This time next year there will still be huge duplication of courses in engineering, education and humanities.

Reform of third-level admissions will begin in earnest.

The university presidents are due to report early next year on changes to the CAO. Expect more broadly based first year university courses in science, engineering, languages and much else. There will be a move away from highly specialised combinations where students need more than 500 points.

http://www.irishtimes.com/

Foilsithe ar 18 Nollaig 2012

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