Majority of parents want school mergers
December 10, 2012
Parents have sent an unequivocal message to the Education Minister as he prepares to make major decisions on the future rationalisation of the schools’ estate — they want their children educated side by side.
And they believe the community — not politicians and civil servants in the Department of Education — should have the say on how closures and amalgamations are carried out.
More than six out of 10 people support merging schools of various backgrounds as a way to save money, according to the latest Belfast Telegraph LucidTalk opinion poll. The survey asked respondents, in light of under pressure education budgets, which of the following options they would consider as a way to save money.
The options included a) cutting back on maintenance in existing schools; b) merging Catholic maintained, state controlled, integrated and Irish medium schools if pupils numbers were low; c) raising taxes and rates or d) abolishing free school transport for children whose parents work.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (61%) stated they would prefer to see mergers of schools with low pupil numbers as opposed to cutting back on school maintenance (10%), increasing taxes and rates (9%) or abolishing free school transport for children whose parents work (20%).
The findings come two days before Education Minister John O’Dowd is due to take receipt of Northern Ireland’s five education and library boards’ area plans for the post primary sector. The North Eastern Education and Library Board last night published its proposals.
The boards should give the Sinn Fein minister food for thought as he considers how the rationalise the schools estate. Proposals to reduce the 85,000 empty desks in our schools include closures, mergers, extending some schools to cater for up to 2,000 pupils and retaining the status quo.
“There is enormous waste with school resources; all schools should pool their resources and facilities,” one respondent said. There was an almost even split in the level of support among Protestants and Catholics for cross-sector mergers with 63% and 56% respectively.
Trevor Lunn MLA said: “These results confirm our impression that the public is more prepared than some politicians to consider radical moves to merge more schools across the different education sectors. “It will bring economic as well as social benefits to our society, and I would urge the department to make it easier to do so.”
The poll also reveals more than half of those surveyed (57%) were unaware of the public consultation process that was criticised for running over the summer holidays with only 15% of poll respondents having given feedback on the area plans.
The Programme for Government has made a commitment to substantially increase the number of schools sharing facilities by 2015 while an advisory group on shared education is due to make its recommendations to the Education Minister in February
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Aighneas i dtaobh cúrsaí Gaeltachtaí sna Coláistí Oiliúna Múinteoirí
December 10, 2012
Parents being asked to help fund schools in cash crisis
November 28, 2012
HALF of primary schools spent more last year than they received in income, with parents being pressed to help with funding.
Another one in five (22pc) barely broke even in the academic year to August, according to research for the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA). And the financial pressure is worsening after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said the minor works grant for schools won’t be paid this year.
One school has been forced to text parents to tell them to put extra layers of clothing on their children for warmth, as they struggle to cope with funding cutbacks.
The principal of Our Lady of the Wayside national school in Bluebell, Dublin, told how children sometimes wear coats in the classroom as they have “no money” to pay for their struggling heating system to be serviced.
Anne McCluskey, who is in her sixth year as principal at the school deemed disadvantaged by the State, said the problems paying for the minor repair works at her 120-pupil school were being mirrored around the country.
Ms McCluskey said the school simply did not have the money to pay for the day-to-day repair and maintenance jobs. Each morning, she goes out to try and “kick-start” the boiler.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) has urged the Department of Education to reinstate the vital minor works grant – worth €8,000 to a school for maintenance – which was slashed in the last Budget.
The CPSMA survey, conducted by Amarach Research, found over nine in 10 schools (93pc) received a minor works grant last year to carry out essential repairs. But now schools are losing out because of cuts in state grants, and also the additional monies that most raise through other sources such as voluntary contributions and fundraising.
More than eight in 10 (86pc) schools rely on ad-hoc fundraising, while four in 10 (43pc) ask parents to make an annual voluntary contribution.
Funding
However, in more than half of cases (57pc), the amount of additional monies received by schools from these other sources last year was down on the previous year.
The survey was carried out among 540 primary schools over a period between October and November. CPSMA general secretary Eileen Flynn said schools at primary level were always the “poor relation” in terms of funding, even in times of plenty. But now they could not even make ends meet, she said.
With the Budget due next week, Ms Flynn warned that any further cuts to school finances would be “devastating”. Sean Cottrell, director of the IPPN, said: “Back in the 70s and early 80s, we saw some awful pictures on television of schools with rat holes.
“We will be heading back to that, there has been a lot of good money spent over the past five years on school buildings but we will lose that benefit if we don’t maintain them properly.”
www.independent.ie
Most people say they can speak some Irish
November 28, 2012
Population positive about language but only 27% want it as main spoken tongue
A large majority of adults say they are able to speak Irish but do not want it to be revived as the main spoken language, according to the Ipsos MRBI 50th anniversary poll.
The survey shows that a total of 74 per cent say they are able to speak some Irish.
Most of these people (55 per cent), however, say they can speak very little of it. A further 16 per cent say they can speak the language “fairly well”, while just 4 per cent say they can speak it “very well”. A total of 24 per cent say they cannot speak Irish at all.
Ability to speak Irish varies with age and geography, according to the poll results. In general, younger people are more likely to be able to say they can speak the language well.
A total of 27 per cent of those aged 18-34 are able to speak the language either “very well” or “fairly well”. The proportion is lower among older age groups such as those aged 35- 54 (16 per cent) and the over-55s (19 per cent).
Political parties
When the results on ability to speak the language are broken down by political party supporters, they show interesting differences. The proportion who can speak some Irish is l owest among Sinn Féin voters (75 per cent) and highest among Fine Gael voters (86 per cent).
The number of Irish-speaking Fianna Fáil supporters is 80 per cent, while the figure falls to 76 per cent among Labour supporters.
Not surprisingly, the highest concentration of Irish speakers is in Connacht/Ulster and Munster.
Students are more likely to be able to speak some Irish (85 per cent). The figures are lower for those who are working (80 per cent ) and not working (70 per cent).
People’s ability to understand spoken Irish on radio or television is comparable to their ability to speak it. Again, a majority of people – 74 per cent – say they can understand Irish.
When this overall figure is broken down, most of these people say they can understand “some” Irish (56 per cent). A further 14 per cent say they understand “most” of the language, while just 4 per cent say they understand all of it.
In general, younger people and those from Connacht/ Ulster and Munster were more likely to be able to understand the language.
Most people are positively disposed towards Irish and would like to see it used more widely – but only to a point. A majority say they do not want Irish revived as the main spoken language of the country.
www.irishtimes.com
Amhras faoi thodhchaí Aonaid a sholáthraíonn leabhair scoile Gaeilge
November 28, 2012
Record numbers go on to third level
November 28, 2012
Private fee-paying schools, Gaelscoileanna and State schools in more prosperous areas are doing especially well, but the picture elsewhere is not as rosy
One of the striking features of the list is the strong performance of schools in Leitrim and Sligo, where virtually all schools have a 100 per cent progression rate to third-level.
An increasing number of Leaving Certificate students are proceeding to third- level education, according to the 2012 School League Tables. A decade ago, when The Irish Times first published these lists, the average progression rate was about 70 per cent; today most schools send about 80 per cent of their students on to third-level institutions.
The picture is very mixed, however. Three types of school tend to perform well in the league tables. These are private feepaying schools, Gaelscoileanna and State schools in more prosperous areas. The picture is much bleaker when you look at schools in disadvantaged areas, where progression rates of less than 60 per cent are not uncommon.
The picture is striking in Dublin. Belvedere College, the Jesuit secondary school near Parnell Square, has a progression rate of 100 per cent, but three other schools in the area, including O’Connell’s Christian Brothers school, have transfer rates of less than 60 per cent. Some schools in west Dublin have progression rates of as low as 30 per cent.
In Dublin, private fee-paying schools top the league tables in most postal districts. Many have a progression rate of 100 per cent, including Loreto Abbey in Dalkey; St Andrew’s College in Booterstown; Catholic University School on Leeson Street; Gonzaga College, in Ranelagh; the Teresian School, in Donnybrook; and Blackrock College.
That said, many non fee-paying schools in Dublin perform exceptionally well. These include Muckross Park College, in Donnybrook; St Benildus College, in Stillorgan; and Holy Faith Secondary School, in Clontarf.
Broadly, schools in south Dublin tend to perform better than their counterparts in north Dublin.
Galelscoileanna also feature strongly in the lists. Coláiste Íosagáin and Coláiste Eoin, which share a campus in Stillorgan, in south Co Dublin, both achieve a 100 per cent progression rate.
Outside Dublin, two Gaelscoileanna in Galway city both achieve 100 per cent transfer rates. Gaelscoileanna in Cork, Mayo and Carlow are among several others that also do well.
One of the striking features of the list is the strong performance of schools in Leitrim and Sligo, where virtually all schools have a 100 per cent progression rate. Sligo Institute of Technology appears to be doing well in attracting local students.
In Cork there is a mixed picture. Christian Brothers College on Sidney Hill, Scoil Mhuire Secondary School on Sidney Place and Presentation Brothers College in Mardyke are among the private schools that do well. Overall, 14 schools in the county have a 100 per cent progression rate. These include several non fee-paying schools, including Sacred Heart Secondary School in Clonakilty, St Francis College in Rochestown and Mount Mercy College.
The performance of schools in Co Mayo is also eye-catching. No fewer than 16 schools in the county register a progression rate of 100 per cent. In all, 24 or 26 schools in the county have a progression rate of more than 80 cent. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology is the only major third-level college in the county.
Co Roscommon also does well. Six of the eight schools in the county have progression rates of 100 per cent, despite the absence of a local third-level college.
Overall, this year’s league tables show a rising tide. More and more students are progressing to third level.
And record numbers of schools are showing a progression rate of 100 per cent.
www.irishtimes.com
Turning of sod for Coláiste Ailigh
November 27, 2012
A new building for an all-Irish second level school which caters for 350 pupils in the heart of Letterkenny is due to be completed by 2014 under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The turning of the sod ceremony for the new Coláiste Ailigh building took place at Knocknamona/Carnamuggagh, Letterkenny on Friday, last. Construction on the new school building will begin immediately on the 8.8 acre site.
Coláiste Ailigh was established in 2000. The school falls under the remit of County Donegal VEC and is currently located in temporary rented accommodation at High Road, Letterkenny.
The chairperson of the VEC, Martin Farren said that Coláiste Ailigh has gone from strength to strength in Letterkenny and that he envisaged the college to be a centre of excellence for Irish language education in Letterkenny.
www.donegaldemocrat.ie
TV advert ideas sought by ‘Foinse’
November 27, 2012
STUDENTS are being encouraged to get their creative juices flowing and come up with ideas for a television advert to promote Bliain na Gaeilge, a yearlong festival in 2013 to celebrate the Irish language.
The competition, being run by TG4 and Irish language newspaper ‘Foinse’, which is published with the Irish Independent on Wednesdays, is open to students at both second and third-level. The deadline for entries is Friday.
www.independent.ie
Comhaltaí nua bhord UnaG
November 21, 2012
Gaeilge chun tosaigh i bhforógra na nÓg
November 21, 2012
