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Post Fógraithe: Feidhmeannach Riaracháin

December 18, 2012

Tá Feidhmeannach Riaracháin á lorg ag An Foras Pátrúnachta, Pátrún Náisiúnta agus Eagraíocht Bhainistíochta ar Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge ag an mbun agus ag an meánleibhéal.

Duine le hard scileanna riaracháin oifige, sár scileanna cumarsáide mar aon le hardchaighdeán Gaeilge atá de dhíth.

Riachtanach don phost:

Taithí riaracháin oifige, ábaltacht oibriú as a stuaim féin, ceadúnas tiomána agus carr.

Conradh bliana atá i gceist le tréimhse promhadh 3 mhí. (Is féidir síneadh ama a chur leis an gconradh seo)

Tuarastal: €25,000 – €30,000 (Ag brath ar cháilíochtaí agus ar thaithí)

Tuilleadh eolais: caoimhin@foras.ie.

Iarratais:

Seol litir iarratais mar aon le CV chuig caoimhin@foras.ie roimh 16:00, 04 Eanáir 2013.
Ní ghlacfar le haon iarratais i ndiaidh an spriocdháta.

Is fostóir comhionannais deise é An Foras Pátrúnachta.

Irish secondary refuses pupils places

December 17, 2012

A row between the board of the only all-Irish secondary school on Cork City’s northside and its trustees has left dozens of children upset at being refused enrolment for next year.

After taking in three first-year classes in three out of the last four years, Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG at the North Monastery has now turned down around 50 of the 110 applicants for places in Sept 2013.

The school board had hoped to take in more than 80 students, but says the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, which owns the school, was behind the cut.

“The board of management intended, and still wishes, to have three classes but was directed by our trustees to take 58 students,” said board secretary Dónal Ó Buachalla.

“As principal, I’d be acutely concerned that there are parents and children who have legitimate expectation. Even at this late stage, I would hope there would be a satisfactory resolution, through ongoing discussion and dialogue between the trustees and the board.”

There are differences of opinion over whether the school has space to accommodate a third first-year class. It is understood that trustees want a phased increase in numbers ahead of any expansion of facilities. The Gaelcholáiste has 405 boys and girls on its roll.

ERST chief executive Gerry Bennett said the record should show that the board decided not to take in more children than it had capacity for, and the trustees agree with this decision.

“Any other course of action would be against the interests of the students already enrolled in the school,” said Mr Bennett. “If a development proposal for extended building provision is received from the school, the ERST will look at it carefully and with consideration for demand for education through Irish in the area.”

But Sinn Féin councillor Thomas Gould said parents who were given the impression there would be more than 80 places at Gaelcholáiste Mhuire feel the goalposts have been moved. Mr Gould is a board member of Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, which he said had four of out of 11 applicants for the Gaelcholáiste turned down.

“We have parents speaking with their feet, choosing Gaelscoils in the northside, while the only second-level all-Irish school in the area is cutting places,” he said.

www.irishexaminer.com

Teachers hit with €1,500 Gaeltacht studies bill

December 17, 2012

Student teachers have warned they will not be able to complete their studies because budget cuts mean they have to spend up to €1,500 each on compulsory Gaeltacht trips.

The move was announced last year by the Department of Education. But this year’s first-year students have protested as the Gaeltacht trips and the associated costs loom.

Up to this year, primary teachers had to attend a three-week language course as part of their training. That requirement has been extended by the Teaching Council to two two-week stays during what will now be a four-year degree for most prospective teachers. However, previous funding of the course fees has been withdrawn by the department from this year.

Students say it will lead to costs of over €700 in fees and expenses for each of the two trips. Darren Wynne, president of the students’ union at Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick, said expecting student teachers to come up with more than €1,400 over two years is not possible in the current economic climate.

“The people who made these decisions are out of touch with reality, it is an issue of huge concern for students. It will make it financially impossible for some students to complete their course,” he said, after students at the college met with course providers.

“In the long term, this will dissuade students from socio–economically disadvantaged backgrounds from teacher education courses. “We are calling on the Teaching Council to review the placement requirement or the Government to restore funding for the placement,” he said.

The Teaching Council said it had been proposed to extend the Gaeltacht placement to up to nine weeks, but it was restricted to four weeks because of the withdrawal of State funding.

The council has told Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan that the Department of Education should set up a targeted financial support programme to ensure student teachers can take part.

The department said the abolition of grants towards student teachers’ attendance at Gaeltacht courses brings teacher-training programmes more in line with other degrees in which students themselves must bear the costs of additional special requirements.

The cut affects those who began teacher training this year but the department paid over €860,000 to Irish colleges in respect of student primary teachers’ fees this year. A spokesperson said a field trip element of a fee grant may be payable under the student grant scheme, and a limited number of students who do not qualify for a grant may be eligible for a contribution towards Gaeltacht course fees.

“In circumstances of particular need, students may apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund which assists students in third-level institutions in exceptional financial need,” a spokesperson said.

www.irishexaminer.com

New build for school

December 17, 2012

A LIMERICK city primary school is to get a new multi-million euro building. Castletroy is to get a new 16classroom school, with construction starting next year.

Gaelscoil Chaladh an Treoigh in Monaleen is the only Limerick primary school to form part of the 2013 school build, announced by Minister Ruairi Quinn this week.

It has been operating out of pre-fabs for 11 years.

www.independent.ie

Feidhmeannach Riaracháin

December 14, 2012

New CD – At Home in my Body

December 14, 2012

AT HOME IN MY BODY is a series of spoken-word CDs by Connemara-based priest Pádraig Ó Fátharta. In the midst of profound social change Pádraig invites us to stop for a moment and provides us with reflections and practices to bring our bodies and minds into harmony.

www.athomeinmybody.com

Déan Dráma 1: Musical plays and songs for early primary school classes with three CDs

December 14, 2012

Déan Dráma – Eolas

Hóng – A new novel in Irish full of mystery and adventure For readers aged 10–14 years

December 14, 2012

Hóng – Press Release

Teaching time at primary level

December 14, 2012

Ireland had a mixed result in the international rankings in reading, maths and science published this week.

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS ) tested primary school pupils in the equivalent of fourth class in more than 60 countries. Ireland has performed creditably in reading – most Irish pupils are reading at a very high level. But the results in maths and especially in science are less encouraging.

More worryingly, Ireland is not ranked among the top-performing countries in any of the tests. As Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn noted, “pupils in a number of other countries are performing significantly above the performance of Irish students’’.

The results indicate that while the Irish education system at primary level is performing reasonably well, it is not quite the “world class’’ system portrayed by its leading advocates. A similar picture emerged when the Irish second level system was tested by the OECD in 2010. Overall, it’s clear that while the Irish education system has many positives – not least a committed and enthusiastic teaching profession – it is still not world-leading. There is no room for complacency.

The harsh truth is that a certain complacency about overall standards was allowed to settle on the education system over the past two decades. How else might one explain the Department of Education’s refusal to co-operate with the TIMSS rankings and other international surveys since the early 1990s? For years, the Department turned its face against rigorous assessment and analysis of our education system. Successive ministers preferred to roll out those cliches about our “world class’’ education system – despite the lack of supporting evidence.

To his credit, Mr Quinn has been sceptical of these claims made for Irish education. He has described the OECD report as a “wake up call”. It’s clear he sees this week’s report on primary education as a catalyst for change. Already, he has raised awkward questions about the relatively small proportion of time allocated to science and maths in primary schools.

Is it acceptable that only 4 per cent of curriculum time is allocated to science in a State with aspirations to develop a knowledge economy? Is the time devoted to religion ut of kilter – not just with contemporary Irish society – but with the needs of our education system?

Mr Quinn has asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to examine the allocation of teaching time at primary level. Their response is awaited with great interest. Last year, Mr Quinn asked primary schools to increase the time devoted to reading and maths as part of the new strategy to boost literacy and numeracy. A re-allocation of teaching time is also required to address deficiencies in science.

www.irishtimes.com

Níl spás ar bith ar an liosta áthais do Ghaelscoil Bharra go dtí 2015

December 14, 2012

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