Folúntas: Coláiste Íosagáin
July 3, 2014
Remembrance Service for Jessica
July 3, 2014
There were heartbreaking scenes at Gaelscoil Longfoirt this afternoon where a service was held to remember Jessica Jeeti (10).
Jessica died alongside her mother Pat and two family friends after a car accident close to Bunbrosna on Saturday morning.
Teachers, pupils and parents gathered with Jessica’s uncle, Evan, and family friends at the school to commemorate the little girl’s life earlier today.
“We are gathered here to remember Jessica who was a vibrant, fine, smart, bubbly and popular girl at our school,” Principal Yvonne Ní Mhurchú said.
Fr Brendan Sullivan who officiated proceedings, pointed to sorrow of her classmates and to the important role that they played in Jessica’s family. “Jessica’s class were like her little family,” he added. “It is important to have a place of welcome and a sense of belonging and her class here was part of that.”
Described by her teacher as “playful, fun loving, musical and artistic”, the talented 10 year-old was firmly on the minds of all those who gathered to celebrate her short, but enriching life. “Jessica really valued her friendships and she had great friends; she cherished her friends dearly,” the teacher added.
A candle was then lit in memory of the little girl and handed to Jessica’s Uncle to bring to the family home. The service was attended by over 100 people who heard Fr Brendan conclude by saying, “Our life is a gift of God; it is measured not in years, but one day at a time. Yesterday is gone never to return; tomorrow is not assured, only today is ours”.
Jessica Jeeti is survived by her father Jim, brothers Geoffrey, Jamie and Jack, extended family, relatives and friends. May she Rest in Peace.
www.longfordleader.ie
GAA star Tomás Ó Sé in fight for gaelscoil
July 3, 2014
Kerry football legend Tomás Ó Sé is helping to lead the fight for a new gaelscoil amid concern it may not be built as quickly as promised.
Ó Sé, a teacher at Gaelscoil de hÍde, Fermoy, is part of an action group which has been formed to lobby politicians to live up to a promise to build its 394 pupils a new school.
The Department of Education promised a new facility would be opened in 2014/2015, but according to the Sunday Game pundit this seems unlikely as a site hasn’t even been identified yet.
The five-time All Ireland-winner, who has taught at the school for the past 14 years, said the pupils are having to deal with seriously cramped conditions and the situation is going to get worse because more numbers are being taken in every year.
“Many classrooms are half the size of the standard classroom. We have two resource teachers operating in a computer room and we’ve a portable building in the yard.
“The kids have to walk around the yard now at break time, when they just want to run about,” Mr Ó Sé said.
“Exercise is crucial for children. I grew up in a country school and we could blow off steam at break and play games to our hearts content. The children here can’t and it’s unacceptable. It’s wrong.”
The action group is urging people in the Fermoy area to send a postcard featuring the pupils to as many politicians as they can in order to get the project moved on.
In 2011 the Government pledged that a new multi-purpose facility would be built to facilitate growing numbers at the school and funding has been earmarked under the capital schools building programme.
However, according to Mr Ó Sé, to date no site has been officially designated.
Initially the school was told the new building would open in time for this school year.
This was then moved back to 2015, and now it seems that target date will also not be met either.
“We know we’re going to get a new school at some stage, but with all the red tape it is likely to surpass the 2015 date which will be a huge blow to pupils, teachers and parents,” he said.
“I am totally frustrated at the extremely slow pace by public bodies in securing a site for our new school. The school community deserve a new school now,” principal Seán Mac Gearailt said.
www.irishexaminer.com
Ballincollig Seeks 800-Pupil Gaelcholáiste
July 3, 2014
AN APPLICATION has been made for a new 800-pupil Gaelcholáiste to be set up in Ballincollig.
A committee of teachers and parents has prepared and submitted a detailed application to the Department of Education calling for the establishment of the school to meet the need for an all-Irish secondary school in the town.
The principal of the town’s all-Irish primary school, Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin, Gabriel Ó Cathasaigh, has warned that the lack of available gaelcholáiste places for graduating gaelscoil pupils could reach crisis point.
Mr Ó Cathasaigh said that if current trends continued, up to 90 children would have no place in an all-Irish secondary school by 2020.
Almost 200 parents of pupils of Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin attended a public meeting in the school last month to discuss the immediate lack of second-level, all-Irish education places in the town and the difficulties it will cause over the coming years.
The meeting heard that the boards of management of Choláiste Choilm and Gaelcholáiste Choilm adopted a new admissions policy before Easter 2014, meaning that for the first time, pupils graduating from Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin this year were not guaranteed a place in Gaelcholáiste Choilm.
The figures mean that if just 80% of the students attending gaelscoileanna in the area wish to continue their second-level education in Irish this year, there will be a shortfall of 29 second-level places.
A committee set up by Mr Ó Cathasaigh and parents has urged parents to lobby local politicians, including Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, Ministers of State Sean Sherlock and Kathleen Lynch, and TDs Michael Creed, Áine Collins and Michael Moynihan.
Mr Ó Cathasaigh has also written to parents in the area, outlining the proposal.
He said: “The parents of Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin can help the government focus on this issue, in the hope that with some planning now, our politicians can avert a looming gaelcholáiste places crisis.
“We hope this will create the momentum we need to get the campaign on track and to ensure the application will get the support it needs and deserves.”
www.eveningecho.ie
Ruairi Quinn resigns as Minister for Education
July 2, 2014
Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has announced his resignation from Cabinet ahead of next week’s reshuffle.
Mr Quinn has also announced his intention to retire from politics at the next general election.
Speculation had been mounting in political circles in recent weeks over Mr Quinn’s future in Cabinet.
He was not expected to retain the Education portfolio in the upcoming reshuffle. It is believed the Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton would have been unwilling to re-appoint him if she becomes the new Labour Party Leader.
Speaking on the Leinster House plinth today, Mr Quinn said he was stepping down to give the new Labour Party leader more options.
The Dublin South East TD has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011, when the current Government came to power.
www.irishtimes.com
Update on Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in Primary Sector published by Minister Quinn
July 2, 2014
Paper outlines progress made to date and discusses options for making all primary schools more inclusive
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., has published a paper: Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Progress to Date and Future Directions.
The document is a follow-up to the Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism, which examined how to ensure and promote greater diversity and inclusion in primary schools.
Despite the changed nature of Irish society with more people practising different religions and none, some 96% of all primary schools have religious patrons, with almost 90% of these under the patronage of the Catholic Church.
The Forum made a series of recommendations on issues which included:
- Future patronage arrangements;
- Divesting of patronage;
- Irish language provision; and
- Promoting inclusion of diversity in existing schools.
The paper published today gives an update on the progress made to date on implementing the recommendations and focuses on options for promoting diversity in existing schools. It aims to inform schools of emerging good practices on inclusivity, rather than being prescriptive.
The document is informed by a public consultation process which took place in the autumn of 2013 where parents in particular were asked their views on how primary schools should make all children feel included. 434 submissions were made. There has also been an examination of how some schools are working to make all pupils feel welcome and included, no matter what their religion, beliefs or background.
Minister Quinn said, “It is clear that there is no one size fits all approach to ensuring all schools are inclusive and welcoming. Our schools have a proud tradition of serving their communities and have made an enormous contribution to our society. Denominational patrons have been an important part of this and will continue to play a strong role in our education system. However, our schools can be busy places. There is a risk that we can overlook some fundamental rights to which pupils and their parents are entitled.”
“These issues may not be a pressing concern for parents who are happy with their children’s schools. This does not, however, release us from our responsibilities to make sure that schools are as welcoming and as inclusive as possible to all pupils of all backgrounds, beliefs and nationalities.”
The document examines good practice in relation to:
- The right to opt out of religion classes;
- Scheduling of Religion Classes and other Religious Activities;
- Options for Pupils in relation to Religious Ceremonies of the Ethos of the School;
- Celebration of Religious Festivals;
- Display of Artefacts.
Under the Constitution, all parents have the right to withdraw their child from religious instruction in schools. Schools are obliged to respect this right, but according to the document, this is currently happening in a variety of ways, for example pupils may remain in class doing other work, they may leave the classroom but remain in the school under supervision or move to another class where they can participate in a different lesson.
With regard to scheduling religion classes, options such as religion classes taking place at the start or end of the school day, classes being clustered into one or two longer sessions per week or staggering religion classes in larger schools with multiple streams are outlined.
The paper examines the need to balance the wish in denominational schools to celebrate their religious ethos in gatherings of the whole school community with the objective of inclusivity. It is also recommended that the celebration of religious festivals be handled sensitively in consultation with parents and groups of different religions, beliefs and backgrounds.
The banning of religious artefacts is not suggested. Rather, other artefacts from different traditions could also be displayed in a school as part of a process of celebrating diversity and education about other belief systems.
The document also outlines the work being done by the New Schools Establishment Group which is tasked with determining the patronage of any new schools built by the Department.
Parental demand and plurality of choice of patron in an area are particularly considered by the Group when deciding patronage of new schools.
The paper also notes that the divestment process in areas where there is stable population and little prospect of new schools being opened has not been as rapid as originally envisaged. 43 areas were surveyed following the Forum Report; in 28 areas sufficient demand for a greater choice of patronage was identified. Four Educate Together schools are due to open this September as part of this process, with a fifth multi-denominational school that opened in temporary accommodation last year, moving to an Edmund Rice Schools Trust building in September.
The engagement with patrons so far has been positive and it is expected that further progress can be achieved for new schools in 2015 and onwards.
Chairperson of the Forum, Professor John Coolahan welcomed the new paper, “This is a valuable and timely document. It provides a good contextual analysis of the issues, highlights the underpinning reasons for change, provides an up-date on a sequence of relevant developments, and provides guidance to school communities on being more inclusive into the future.
“While it notes that progress on the recommended divestment of patronage process has been less than expected to date, the document indicates that Irish society is moving towards a more pluralist primary school system, respecting the rights of all citizens. It also reflects a more informed public awareness of the issues than was the case a few years ago.”
The paper can be accessed at http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Conferences/Patronage-and-Pluralism-in-the-Primary-Sector/Progress-to-Date-and-Future-Directions-Forum-on-Patronage-and-Pluralism-in-the-Primary-Sector.pdf
www.education.ie
Schools urged to publish polices showing they are ‘genuinely inclusive’
July 2, 2014
Schools under religious patronage are being urged by the Department of Education to publish policies explaining exactly how they include people of other faiths and none.
In a progress report on the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, the Department says there are schools which are “very welcoming and open towards pupils of all backgrounds”.
However, “all of these schools may not reflect these good practices fully in their written policies”.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn notes that one of the issues highlighted by the report of the forum on pluralism and patronage is “respecting a child’s rights not to receive religious instruction”.
The report also notes that the divestment of patronage “has not been as rapid as originally envisaged”, although some progress has been made in transferring ownership.
On diversity policies in schools, the Department says it accepts “one size does not fit all” but it advocates better communication between patrons and parents.
A number of options are proposed to facilitate children opting out of religious instruction, including moving them to another room for supervision, or to another class during faith formation lessons.
Another option is to cluster such religious classes “so that for example, rather than having 30 minutes per day five days a week it would be possible to have one or two longer sessions per week.
“This would facilitate withdrawal arrangements. However, there would be concerns about pedagogical issues for younger children with such long lessons, which may not be suitable for younger children.”
Citing a “potential mismatch between aspiration and achievement” in inclusivity, the report notes: “There is a risk that the absence of a complaint from a parent will be equated with satisfaction.”
It continues: “A school which permits enrolment by those of a different faith group or of no faith, but does not move actively to welcome these pupils and include them is taking a very minimalist view of inclusiveness. The absence of active discouragement to enrol does not equal a genuinely open and inclusive approach on the part of the school.”
The report follows a consultation process which attracted 434 submissions from parents, teachers and other stakeholders.
The document “aims to inform schools of emerging good practices on inclusivity, rather than being prescriptive”, the Department said, although it contains implied criticism of certain practices.
Some 90 per cent of the state’s 3,169 primary schools are under Catholic patronage, and a further 6 per cent are controlled by Protestant churches. The report notes this is “unique among developed countries” and doesn’t reflect the pluralist nature of Ireland today.
Some 43 areas were surveyed following the forum’s original report in 2012, and in 28 of them “sufficient demand for a greater choice of patronage was identified”. However, this has led to only two changes of patronage: at a Church of Ireland school at Ballysokerry, outside Ballina, Co Mayo; and at a former Christian Brothers school in Basin Lane, Dublin.
Both are coming under the patronage Educate Together, which is also setting up three new schools under the Department’s reform process in Malahide, Co Dublin; Trim, Co Meath and Tramore, Co Waterford.
Professor John Coolahan who chaired the patronage forum said the update was “valuable and timely”. The document “provides guidance to school communities on being more inclusive into the future”, he said.
“While it notes that progress on the recommended divestment of patronage process has been less than expected to date, the document indicates that Irish society is moving towards a more pluralist primary school system, respecting the rights of all citizens. It also reflects a more informed public awareness of the issues than was the case a few years ago.”
Publishing the report, Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn said: “Denominational patrons have been an important part of this and will continue to play a strong role in our education system. However, our schools can be busy places. There is a risk that we can overlook some fundamental rights to which pupils and their parents are entitled.
“These issues may not be a pressing concern for parents who are happy with their children’s schools. This does not, however, release us from our responsibilities to make sure that schools are as welcoming and as inclusive as possible to all pupils of all backgrounds, beliefs and nationalities.”
www.irishtimes.com
Folúntais: Gaelcholáiste Choilm
July 2, 2014
Folúntas: Gaelscoil Chaladh an Treoigh
July 2, 2014
Gaelscoil Longfoirt remembrance service for ‘lovely and bright’ crash victim Jessica
July 1, 2014
A remembrance service will be held at Gaelscoil Longfoirt at 12.30pm today for 10-year-old Jessica Jeeti, a fourth class pupil at the school who died in a car accident at the weekend alongside her mother Pat and their friends Queenent Amenaghawon Olige-esezobor and her sister Fanny Oraweme Akenbor.
Jessica’s three brothers also attended the school and Principal Yvonne Ní Mhurchú said that the family were a fine example of “bilingual education”.
“We have never lost a child at our school and Jessica was a wonderful child,” a clearly emotional Ms Ní Mhurchú said, adding “she was one of four children from the same family attending the Gaelscoil.”
The local principal went on to say that Jessica was a very popular young girl who was ‘able and bright’.
“I could give her any job to do and she would carry it out to the best of her ability,” remarked Ms Ní Mhurchú. “Jessica was from a fabulous family who are a prime example of bilingual education. She was such a lovely little girl and had lovely little friends.”
Today’s service will be attended by pupils of the schools and their families; Jessica’s friends, teachers and staff, clergy and members of the community.
Psychologists from the school programme NEPS will also be on hand to assist the children in any way they can.
www.longfordleader.ie
