TRÁTH NA gCEIST á reáchtáil ag Raidió na Life do pháistí bunscoile
February 3, 2015
Clann Sídhe Grúpa Spraoi
February 2, 2015
Clann Sídhe Grúpa Spraoi
Grúpa Tuismitheoirí & Leanaí in Áras Chrónáin Ionad Cultúir
New Parent & Child group starting in Áras Chrónáin Ionad Cultúir.
Tá grúpa spraoi le tosú do thuismitheoirí agus leanaí réamhscoile in Áras Chrónáin Ionad Cultúir i 2015. Uair a chloig de shúgradh, amhráin, scéalta agus eile a bheas i gceist agus é dírithe ar thuismitheoirí atá ag tógáil a bpáistí le Gaeilge nó atá ag iarraidh níos mó Gaeilge a labhairt lena bpáistí. Beidh sé ar siúl gach ré mhaidin Shathairn san Áras ag tosú 7ú Feabhra 2015 ag 10.30r.n.
Má tá spéis agat bheith páirteach sa ghrúpa cuir glaoch ar Bhrian ar 01 457 4847, nó cuir rphost chuig brian@araschronain.ie.
A new play group for parent and pre-school kids will be starting in Áras Chrónáin Ionad Cultúir, Cluain Dolcáin, Baile Átha Cliath 22 in 2015.. An hour of playing, singing, story-telling and more is for parents who are raising their children through Irish and parents who want to speak more Irish to their little ones. It’ll be on every second Saturday morning in the Áras starting from Saturday the 74th of February 2015 at 10.30a.m..
If you’d like to go give Brian a ring on 457 4847, send an email to brian@araschrónáin.ie
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Laghdú ionadaíochta na scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta ar bhord COGG
February 2, 2015
Hottest-ever points race as number of applications soars
February 2, 2015
THE points race for sought-after college courses is set to be hotter than ever this year, as demand for third-level places hits a new high.
When the main deadline for CAO applications closed yesterday, 74,499 people had applied for a place, which is a record for this time of year.
It is up about 1,500 on the same time in 2014, reflecting the ongoing rise in school-leaver numbers and the general growth in demand for college places.
A degree or similar qualification is increasingly being seen as essential to meet the needs of the modern workplace.
Despite recent measures to cool the points race, the surge in applications for college is likely to trigger a rise in points needed to get on courses with increased competition for places this year.
Catering for such numbers will also sorely test our higher education system – which has been stretched with a 9pc cut in income, an 11pc cut in staffing but a 16pc increase in student numbers over recent years.
While 5.15pm yesterday was the standard deadline, the CAO also allows for late applicants so the overall figure is expected to rise in the months ahead.
The statistic released yesterday are only the raw applicant numbers.
There is no indication just yet of the demand for the various disciplines, such as engineering, science, health or teaching.
When the breakdown of applications by discipline becomes available in a few weeks, it will show the trends in full.
This will list student choices and give a clear indication of where the pressure points will be this year.
The ongoing rise in school-leaver numbers and the consequent rise in demand for third-level qualification is expected to continue for another decade at least.
This year’s applications figure is up from the 73,063 recorded last February, and up more than 3,000 from the 71,151 seen in 2013.
Given the improving economic situation, it is likely that construction-related fields – such as surveying and architecture – will see a further surge in demand this year.
For instance, last year applications showed a swing back to areas such as construction, which had seen an enormous dip in popularity after the economic crash.
Other areas that have seen a swing in student preferences in recent years include agriculture and engineering and technology, on the back of buoyancy in those sectors.
In fact, last year colleges laid on extra places in computing courses in a bid to address the shortage of graduates being experienced by companies in information and communications technology (ICT) fields, and soak up the renewal in interest among school-leavers in this area.
As the economy started to show the first shoots of recovery, there was also a bounce back in interest in business and professions such as law among the class of 2014, which may very well be repeated this year.
However, students who are concerned about the points race have been urged not to panic.
Changes introduced by a number of colleges this year may help to counter the rise.
Some universities have, for instance, introduced a single engineering programme for new entrants this year, instead of having a number of specialised programmes at point of entry.
Universities sometimes use the niche attraction of a specialised entry route for marketing purposes.
But it can have the effect of driving up points, only for students to find themselves sharing lectures with others in the same broad discipline that may have come in on lower points.
As well as taking the heat out of the points race, the switch to more generic entry routes would allow students to put off specialisation until the end of first year or second year, when they may have a better idea of what they want to do.
The other challenge facing third-level institutions is financial, as pressure of numbers raises concerns about the ability of the system to deliver a quality service.
An expert group has been set up to consider how higher education in Ireland should be funded into the future.
The first report from the export group, published last week, repeated warnings that, in light of the continued demand for a college place, the current funding model for third-level is not sustainable.
Its final report is due later in the year and is likely to raise the prospect of higher student contributions.
Currently, 56pc of 18-19-year-olds go on to third level, and if that rate was to continue, the demand for first year college places would rise to about 56,000 in 2028.
But, according to the report, if a lack of funding forced colleges to hold first year places at current levels, it would mean a cut to about 35,000 new entrants,. That would mean only 45pc of school leavers would be going to college, rather than 56pc.
While the overwhelming majority of CAO applicants for 2015 have now registered, the process allows for changes to course choices, at no extra cost, between May and July.
Typically about half of applicants take up that option.
The CAO also offers a late application facility from March, but certain courses are excluded.
www.irishindependent.com
Teaching Council to review application fees amid complaints over cost and delays
February 2, 2015
The Teaching Council says it is reviewing the fees it charges young graduates seeking to enter the profession amid mounting complaints over costs and bureaucracy.
Since last year, anyone working in teaching has to be registered with the council at an initial cost of €90, but fees are a multiple of this if the applicant graduated overseas or outside of traditional teacher training colleges.
To have your qualifications assessed, the council charges €200 and an additional €100 for each post-primary subject.
A number of graduates, including some who studied in the UK, have complained to The Irish Times not only about the cost and delays involved in the application process but also the added burden of meeting more stringent qualification requirements.
The one-year Professional Diploma in Education (PDE), what used to be the Hdip, has been replaced with a two-year Professional Master of Education (PME). This has doubled the cost of education for trainees, and those wishing to teach subjects to Junior Cert or Leaving Cert level may have to accumulate extra course credits on top of this.
Standards
Council director Tomás Ó Ruairc said, “The qualifications assessment process is designed to ensure that those who qualify in other countries to become a teacher meet the same standards as those who qualified in Ireland. This is only fair and proper.”
He said teachers can apply with the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), the UK equivalent of the Hdip “but they will have conditions applied relating to the shortfall in their qualifications which must be fulfilled within three years.
“In light of the recent changes whereby all post-graduate routes to teaching in Ireland are now two years in duration, these shortfalls are likely to be significant.”
Asked about a complaint from one student who had been waiting six months for her application to be processed, during which time she couldn’t work, he said he couldn’t discuss individual cases.
But he pointed out that a teacher could seek employment while awaiting recognition for a second or third subject so long as they met initial registration standards.
He added the council reviewed its schedule of fees on an annual basis and always listened to feedback on issues of this nature.
A number of complaints have emerged from graduates in science and humanities who had planned to go into teaching but discovered the coursework from their primary degrees didn’t tally with the council’s curriculum requirements.
Mr O Ruairc said the new criteria for teaching post-primary subjects had been on the council’s website since September 2013, and were disseminated widely at that time to higher education institutions, career guidance bodies and others.
www.irishtimes.com
Múinteoirí do chúrsaí samhraidh Choláiste na nOileán, Leitir Móir
February 2, 2015
