Feachtas cearta seolta
January 16, 2014
Discussions on school admissions legislation continues
January 15, 2014
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection continued its hearings today in relation to upcoming legislation on school admissions.
The Draft General Scheme of an Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2013 was published by the Minister Ruairi Quinn in September 2013. The Bill sets out to regulate the admission of children to primary and post-primary schools, to ensure a fair and transparent enrolment process.
Minister Quinn referred the draft General Scheme and the draft regulations to the Oireachtas Joint Committee, with a view to seeking input from key stakeholders on the proposals. In October 2013, the Committee issued an invitation to interested individuals and groups to have their say on the Draft Bill.
Oireachtas Joint Committee Chairperson Joanna Tuffy TD said: “As well as seeking to curb the practice of cherry-picking students, the legislation also proposes to ban non-fee paying schools from seeking deposits or payments to secure places.”
Addressing the Oireachtas Joint Committee today were: Marie Céline Clegg, Loreto Education Centre (Dublin); John Suttle; Derval Duggan; Noel P Malone, Coláiste Chiaráin, Croom, Limerick; Gabriel McCabe; Eithne Reid O’Doherty, Agnes Russell.
Below is the oral submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee by Noel P Malone, Principal, Coláiste Chiaráin, Co Limerick:
“As an experienced principal, I would urge this Committee to review these proposed regulations in the light of the experience of the Limerick Area Post-Primary Schools Common Application System.
“Limerick is an area of the country that has grappled with the whole issue of educational inequality for many years and remains the only area in the country where a common admissions and application system applies. It is therefore an ideal test-case for the application of these regulations.
“I welcome the fact that the Bill has included the right of the Minister to impose a similar system elsewhere. However, it is with some alarm and regret that I note the Minister’s assertion that; “it is not the intention, in such a scenario, that the schools concerned will be required to apply a common policy. Rather that each school will continue to apply its own policy, in that only the process will have to operate in co-operation with other schools.”
“On this point in particular, I believe the Minister should insist on a common admissions policy across all participant schools, with geographical location as first priority, after brothers or sisters of existing students. Unfortunately, in my experience in Limerick, it is widely perceived that the system as it operates is unfair and discriminatory, and the last thing such a system needs is light touch regulation.
“A key characteristic of schools in Limerick is the lack of social mix. This has negative consequences on those lower down the social hierarchy, and brings additional advantage to pupils in those schools which are almost entirely middle class in their social composition.
“The centralised procedure has brought about considerable anguish and uncertainty among parents and children. If children do not get their first or second preference school, they may be left with the very last of their preferences. Ironically, participant schools are given a certain level of protection from any imputation of perpetuating inequality, by using the scheme as a kind of cover.
“Schools cannot be allowed to continue to operate independently in terms of their admission criteria, and therefore decide their selection criteria with no independent scrutiny. Of course this really becomes relevant where demand exceeds supply.
“Generally speaking, there is an ageing population within the city boundary – most of the growth in population is in the suburbs and outlying areas. In some areas where you have large and highly sought after schools, the profile of the immediate area is one of an ageing and sometimes affluent population, so they must draw from a larger catchment area.
“Unfortunately, in many instances this is largely contrived. Vast swathes of population are often ignored in favour of other applicants living significantly further away. This can mean travelling substantial distances away from their home by private bus or car. A key point is that current admissions policies do not observe the spirit of inclusiveness, even though many claim to do so. That is what has to change. If it does, greater equality of opportunity will follow.
“Some schools apply preferential criteria, such as favouring children living in certain affluent areas, cherry-picked traditional feeder schools, brothers or sisters of past pupils, sons or daughters of past pupils and so on, and finally, of course, ‘all others.’ In effect, very few places are left in this last category, as the schools have pretty much wrapped up their preferred clientele, and end up sending refusal letters to so many disappointed twelve-year olds.
“This leads to an extraordinary situation, where some children have right of entry, although they live some distance from the school, and other children are refused, even if they reside adjacent to the school, or indeed attend the local feeder primary school. Surely proximity to a school should have a higher ranking than when a child has a father or mother who attended a generation earlier? This could be construed that this is a means by which a certain social class is protected and the best students are cherry-picked, to the detriment of those schools who genuinely strive for inclusivity.
“The fact that the Minister may now consider granting a derogation to permit a school’s admission policy to include a past pupil criteria of up to 25% will skew the process, and cannot be explained away by defending its inclusion on the basis of tradition. If it is accepted that tradition can be used by a school to discriminate against other applicants, the very basis of the proposed regulation is undermined.
“Who will oversee the selection of this 25%, and where is the transparency in terms of selection? Surely, this will give licence to some schools to continue to actively favour the socially advantaged, academically gifted, or those who have exceptional sporting prowess.
“Furthermore, this proposal appears to reward those schools who have adopted such discriminatory practices in the past, by limiting this derogation to those who allowed such a provision in the last five years, effectively penalising those schools which have embraced a much more progressive and open admissions policy.
“There is no real justification for giving preference to children of past pupils or to a lesser extent, siblings of former pupils. Again, this is always discriminatory and unfair. The proposed limit of 25 per cent should be withdrawn and no derogation should be applicable. A fair and reasonable geographical radius of any particular school in a city or rural location, should be agreed. It would put all students in the agreed catchment of that school on an equal footing, and where there is an over-subscription for that school, other priorities can be addressed.
“Allocations to each school should be based on a common agreed admissions policy, on a genuine lottery basis and centrally managed by the local Education Centre. This would make the system completely transparent and avoid any suspicion of manipulation.
“In conclusion Chairperson, I wish to put on record that I very much welcome the spirit and philosophy behind this draft Bill, but strongly feel that unless these fundamental issues are addressed, the current iniquitous system may be preserved under an illusion of fairness.
“These proposed changes are long overdue and I would urge this Committee to consider this submission in the spirit of true equality and justice for our boys and girls, regardless of background.
“They deserve nothing less.”
www.educationmatters.ie
Dianchúrsa Traenála i Scileanna Raidió ó Raidió Fáilte
January 15, 2014
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2014
January 15, 2014
This year’s Seachtain na Gaeilge will take place from 1st -17th March 2014 and promises to be the longest week of the years packed with cultural and Irish language events all over Ireland and around the world. Once again this year Seachtain na Gaeilge welcomes new individuals & groups and previous participants to organise an events/events during the 1st -17th march 2014. Seachtain na Gaeilge promotes the use of Irish language and culture both at home and abroad with a two-week festival held in March every year. The festival gives everyone a chance to experiment and have fun with Irish, whether they are fluent speakers or only dipping their toe in the language for the first time.
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2014 festival will have its most international flavour to date. Learners from abroad will be invited to Ireland to take part in the fun from 4 – 17 March 2013, where there will be a range of exciting new and innovative events organised to get everyone speaking Irish. The 2014 celebrations will not only have one or two ambassadors but three and they hope to motivate thousands of people to speak their native language during Seachtain na Gaeilge 2014. This year’s ambassadors include Máire Treasa Ni Dhubhghaill from Conamara, presenter on Rugbaí Beo and Ponc on TG4, the talented Dublin footballer and is a dual player for Castleknock, Ciarán Kilkenny and the BBC broadcaster and television presenter Lynette Fay from Dungannon, Co. Tyrone. Seachtain na Gaeilge will be celebrated all over Ireland in many other locations all over the world where the community have embraced a love the Irish language. In Ireland many local libraries and the National Museum of Ireland will hold many historical and various events which will give people the opportunity to practice their Irish. Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrates the Irish language each years and also celebrates tour heritage, culture through various events such as concerts, conversation gatherings, traditional music sessions, sean-nós and Irish dancing, children’s events plus much more. Other events include historic walks. Poetry reading, surfing lessons, speed dating as Gaeilge, children’s event, storytelling, concerts, Irish language conversational gathering in many café’s all over Ireland plus much more.
To register an event contact Seachtain na Gaeilge at +353 (0)1 4757401 / E eolas@cnag.ie
To find out what’s happening in your area this Seachtain na Gaeilge visit: www.snag.ie
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Secondary-school management is at breaking point
January 15, 2014
The most challenging issue for voluntary secondary schools is their management structure.
It is often noted that Ireland is very fortunate to have more than 30,000 wonderful volunteers who, in their roles as members of boards of management, govern our 4,000 primary and post-primary schools.
It is the very existence of this voluntary, community-based governance model that should create the impetus for complementing it with a well-resourced and appropriate school-management structure. Sadly, the reality is quite different.
Historically, the voluntary secondary-school management system evolved from a time when professed religious managed schools in their roles as principal and manager. In addition, the local community of religious in the convent or monastery provided much-needed support, free of charge, to the principal or manager and to the school community.
Today’s picture is much different, with a lay principal, supported only by a deputy principal and a group of teachers with “posts of responsibility”, whose numbers are shrinking due to a moratorium on filling such posts that was introduced in March 2009.
However, even if the previous system existed today, I would be making a case for the overhaul of the management system in voluntary secondary schools.
Before 2009, more than 50 per cent of teachers in voluntary secondary schools held posts of responsibility. Unfortunately, the title “posts of responsibility” is a misnomer as these roles represent discrete functions and all responsibility still ultimately rests with the principal.
Principals are therefore carrying a growing and impossible workload as they try to cope with running schools that aresuffering not just the impact of the moratorium, but a multitude of other cutbacks that have resulted in the principal being forced to become a guidance counsellor, year head, building-project manager, classroom teacher, and so on. In addition, the introduction of new legislation, regulations, top-down policies and disconnected educational initiatives such as a literacy and numeracy strategy, school self-evaluation and junior-cycle reform have all been added to the principal’s to-do list.
The ever-increasing workload has forced many principals to retire from the job at the earliest opportunity. Research conducted by the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) last summer indicated that 61 per cent of principals in voluntary secondary schools have been replaced within the past five years.
A consequence of this increase in workload and worry-load has been the emergence of high degrees of stress among principals. This has taken both a personal form, such as chronic fatigue and anxiety, as well as having an impact on working style. For example, many principals speak of the difficulties of prioritising their students and teachers in the face of an overload of administrative demands.
Their main vocation lies in teaching and learning but their main workload is increasingly concerned with compliance and the struggle for resources.
We need to reimagine the role of the principal in our schools in order to provide her or him with greater flexibility and autonomy to lead and manage in the local context. In particular, a structure must be created in which middle management responds to the real needs of each school and includes real responsibility for those undertaking such roles. To this end, the JMB and the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools have embarked on a project to develop a management structure in post-primary schools that is fit for purpose.
Many principals protest that decisions made at national level often ignore the real-time, real-life impact at school level.
It is essential that principals receive more practical supports, both nationally and locally, as well as experiencing much clearer channels of communication.
Ferdia Kelly is general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body, which provides advice and support and negotiates on behalf of school management in 400 voluntary secondary schools.
www.irishtimes.com
Gael-Choláiste an Phiarsaigh still without premises
January 15, 2014
Department of Education and Skills yet to announce a site for the new post-primary school
Lorcán Mac Gabhann, Chairperson of Gael-Choláiste an Phiarsaigh, has said that the location of the school, which is due to open on 1 September 2014, is still unknown to the Board of Management.
The decision to establish an all-Irish secondary school in Dundrum, South Dublin, was taken by the Department of Education and Skills over two years ago, and although 200 students are already registered, with 46 due to start in September 2014, no information has been made available to the Board or parents regarding the location of the school.
Mac Gabhann said that while the Board has been working hard over the last year there has been little meaningful engagement with the Department of Education regarding a location for the school and up until now, parents or the Board were never consulted as to where to school should be located so as to best suit their needs.
One parent of a child starting in September, Sarah Flynn, said, “It is incredibly difficult for us as parents when our children ask us where they will be starting next September and we have no answer for them. This uncertainty is placing a huge strain on the children”.
Another parent, Donal Duibhginn, said, “There is no other provision for Irish medium education available for our son in the area and Gael-Choláiste an Phiarsaigh is our last hope to provide the type of education we wish for our children”.
The Board of Management of the Gael-Choláiste is urgently demanding a meeting with the Minister of Education and Skills to discuss the lack of consultation and dialogue with parents and Board over the future location of the school.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Tráth na gCeist Bórd Feachtas i gColáiste Raithín, Bré
January 15, 2014
Tough campaign for the Irish language
January 15, 2014
Over 200 people attended a public meeting held by Conradh na Gaeilge at the weekend regarding the Government’s approach to the Irish language.
The meeting was held in Dublin’s Liberty Hall on Saturday to highlight public anger and frustration with the Government’s attitude to Irish and the Gaeltacht at the level of the State, and to discuss the way forward for the Irish speaking community.
The latest developments come as a result of An Coimisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin’s announcement that he would be resigning from his role on 23 February 2013 due to the Government’s failure to implement language legislation.
Conradh na Gaeilge and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) held a protest before Christmas to mark the beginning of the campaign to show the Irish language community’s support for An Coimisinéir Teanga’s stance and their disappointment with the Government’s approach to Irish language matters. The meeting on Saturday gave Irish speakers the opportunity to discuss the objectives and requirements of a tough campaign will be undertaken in the coming weeks.
Guest speakers included Capt Aralt Mac Giolla Chainnigh, founder of the Canada Gaeltacht, Seán Mag Leannáin, Former Chief Officer in the Stateservice, and the public forum was chaired by Caoimhín Ó hEaghra, Director of An Foras Pátrúnachta and former Senior Civil Servant.
In an official statement from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, it stated that the issues raised at the meeting on Saturday, 11 January 2014, will be considered by the Department as well as the appropriate stakeholder groups, but noted that many of the recommendations made at the meeting relate to the work of other Government bodies and not the Department of the Gaeltacht.
Based on recommendations made at the public meeting, the following actions have been agreed:
- to organise a tough continuous campaign
- to establish a workgroup to coordinate the campaign (Conradh na Gaeilge will act as secretary to the group)
- to organise a large demonstration that will attract public support to the campaign
In order to implement these recommendations, any person or group with an interest in taking part in the workgroup is being asked to notify Ard-Rúnaí Chonradh na Gaeilge, julian@cnag.ie, before 12.00pm on Friday, 17 January. It is hoped that the workgroup will be made up of representatives from all aspects of the Irish language community including members from the north, the west and the Gaeltacht.
The workgroup will agree a strategy for the campaign which will include recommendations made at the meeting, and will begin to put plans into placer immediately regarding a large demonstration that will take place in Dublin on Saturday, 15 February 2014, at 2.00pm.
It is hoped that the campaign will be active before the language commissioner stands down on 23 February 2014.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Mórshiúl beartaithe ag lucht na Gaeilge
January 15, 2014
Spriocdháta don Chomórtas Amhrán Pan Cheilteach 2014
January 15, 2014
