VEC turns to North as it can’t fill language teacher jobs
October 25, 2012
A SHORTAGE of language teachers has forced schools to advertise for staff in Northern Ireland.
Although thousands of teachers are struggling for work, Co Louth Vocational Education Committee (VEC), which runs five schools, has advertised vacancies in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ newspaper.
The ad, placed last Monday, is seeking German and Spanish teachers as well as those who can teach a range of subjects through the medium of Irish, starting next September. Co Louth VEC chief executive officer Padraig Kirk said their schools were experiencing “significant difficulties” in recruiting qualified teachers.
Border
The VEC, which has also had problems recruiting teachers of French and Russian, looked over the Border after two ads placed in the Republic failed to fill the vacancies.
The problem is not unique to Co Louth and Ferdia Kelly of the Joint Managerial Body, representing secondary school management, said shortages had been noted in recent years.
Meanwhile, Dublin schools could find it difficult to get Irish teachers, Clive Byrne of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals said. New regulations ensuring schools recruit only qualified and registered teachers may be contributing to the difficulties. Previously, a school may have fallen back on a teacher who was proficient in a subject but not properly qualified.
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Schools under new patrons ‘by September’
October 23, 2012
Patrons to change if survey shows demand, says Quinn
PRIMARY SCHOOLS could be under new patronage by next September if sufficient numbers of parents decide they want it, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has said.
Parents in five areas where there are a considerable number of primary schools will be given that choice through an online survey.
The parents of both preschool and primary-school children in Arklow, Castlebar, Tramore, Trim and Whitehall are being asked to identify their preferred school patron. They will be asked to complete surveys stating their preferences for the type of local school they would like their children to attend. The results will be presented to the Catholic Church, which has said that if enough parents in certain areas decide they want a different patron for a school, they will hand over that patronage.
The move is the first step in a process i n which schools in 44 areas could be divested of the control of the Catholic Church. The areas in question are those where there is a stable population and a clear demand for a greater diversity of school types. The other 39 areas will be surveyed from next month.
Mr Quinn said the purpose of the survey of the five areas was to ensure the online process was carried out properly before it was extended to other areas. He expects the results will be available by the end of the year and the first change of patronage will happen “next September or the following September” if everything goes according to agreed procedures.
Fr Michael Drumm, chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership, said they would abide by the survey results, even though they would have preferred a paper rather than an online survey because many parents do not have access to the internet.
“We would of course facilitate change where there is real demand for it,” he told RTÉ Radio’s News at One programme.
He said that if only a small number of parents respond to the survey, the partnership would take that as a signal that the rest were happy with the status quo. He also stressed the survey could not be regarded as a plebi-scite or a vote on future patronage.
The National Parents Council urged parents to participate in the survey so the results could truly reflect the wishes of the local communities. Educate Together chief executive Paul Rowe described the survey as “a milestone in providing for diversity in Irish education”.
He predicted that it would lead to the transfer of patronage of a small number of Catholic schools to Educate Together where there is parental demand to do so. He said parents in the five areas questioned would be “greatly encouraged” their preferred school type may not be far away with the Minister’s announcement. The bodies which have expressed interest in becoming patrons of divested schools in the five areas are An Foras Pátrúnachta, the patron body for Gaelscoileanna in Ireland; Educate Together; VECs; the National Learning Network; and the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
The survey process will be overseen by the independent New Schools Establishment Group. The Department of Education will publish detailed reports on the survey outcomes. If the surveys identify demand for alternative patronage in these areas, the department will explore with the existing patrons the transfer of patronage of schools.
The survey is available at www.education.ie.
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‘To see real educational apartheid, look no farther than your local Gaelscoil’
October 23, 2012
A PARENT WRITES: It’s far from certain whether any move to withdraw State funding from private schools will address the problem of educational inequality, but it seems there is now the political appetite to rattle a system that has enjoyed the best of both worlds for too long.
I suspect the move, if it happens, will be a financial manoeuvre rather than an attempt to redistribute privilege in Irish society. If policymakers were genuinely interested in democratising State-funded education they would do well to take a cool look at the Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcoláistí. Irish language schools are getting away with worse levels of educational apartheid than any private schools. These schools may purport to welcome children of all nationalities, classes and intellectual abilities but the language throws up a natural forcefield that deflects students from various constituencies.
Living as I do in a middle-class area of south Dublin, I know many parents who have opted to send their children to Gaelscoileanna. Not one of these parents is a Gaelgóir – all complain that they are not equipped to help their children with homework or even to engage in the mildest level of Irish conversation at home. There is no grá for the language here – these parents are choosing these schools because their children will be educated among Irish citizens from well-to-do backgrounds.
These are well-informed people with the cop-on to get their child’s name on a list at birth. They have the comfort of knowing that their child will not have to muck in with students whose second language is English, with Travellers or with others who would simply never consider a Gaelscoil for a slew of socioeconomic reasons. This exclusivity is naturally reproduced into second-level Gaelcoláistí, which tend to give first preference to children from the Gaelscoil sector.
As for special education, I’m willing to bet that, if anyone cared to review the situation, there are fewer children with special needs in Irish-language schools than in others. Socioeconomic profiling would account for this in the large part, but there’s more to it. Why are children with learning disabilities in English language schools entitled to apply for an exemption from Irish? Because it’s very hard to learn if you have dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Another natural barrier at the gate of the Gaelscoil.
It is the right of every citizen to choose the type of education they want for their child. If a parent wants an exclusively Irish education for their child then they should have to pay for it. Like the private schools, I don’t believe the Irish taxpayer should be forced to stump up for schools that can only ever accommodate a very narrow layer of Irish society.
This column is designed to give a voice to those within the education system who wish to speak out anonymously. Contributions are welcome; email sflynn@irishtimes.com
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Surveys offer parents chance to pick preferred school type
October 22, 2012
Parents in five areas where just one of the 26 local primary schools is multi-denominational will have a chance to pick their preferred school type from this morning.
The surveys are the first of 44 to be carried out before Christmas in areas where there is little or no choice apart from Catholic or other religious schools. They may lead to the landmark step of local bishops handing over school facilities if parental demand for alternative patrons emerges. The use of the questionnaire by families in Arklow, Co Wicklow; Castlebar, Co Mayo; Tramore, Co Waterford; Trim, Co Meath; and Whitehall in Dublin will be used as a pilot exercise for the remaining 39 areas where Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has ordered information on demand for different school patrons.
As well as limited school patron choices, the areas have settled populations, making them ineligible in the near future for new schools to be built and offered to non-religious patrons. The parents of existing primary pupils and preschool children are being asked if they want a greater choice of patronage of school type, to include preferences for English or all-Irish schools and mixed or single-sex provision.
The Department of Education asked prospective patrons who might be interested in running a primary school, in 44 areas in June after publication of the report of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector set up by Mr Quinn last year. The five areas in the pilot survey have 26 primary schools between them but the only multi-denominational school in all five is in Whitehall in Dublin.
“Modern Ireland is hugely diverse and we have to be sure that our schools cater for this diversity. While we owe a debt to religious bodies for their contribution to education, there is now the potential for change within the primary patronage system to better reflect our society,” Mr Quinn said.
“I am urging all eligible parents to make sure that their voices are heard by taking part in these surveys. This is a historic opportunity for parents to reshape the primary school landscape for generations to come.”
* Pilot area surveys are online at www.education.ie and a helpline is available on 1800 30 36 21.
www.irishexaminer.com
Parents to begin voting on who runs their local primary schools
October 22, 2012
PARENTS are to start voting on who they want to run their local school, in a historic step for Irish education.
The move is aimed at reducing the dominance of the Catholic Church in primary education and handing over some of the 92pc of schools it currently controls to other patron bodies. The church agrees that greater choice is required to reflect recent cultural and ethnic changes and will divest schools to other patrons in line with parental demand.
From today, surveys are being carried out in five of 44 initial areas where the Department of Education has identified a potential demand for greater diversity because of limited choice and no plans to open a new school. The five areas are: Arklow, Co Wicklow; Castlebar, Co Mayo; Tramore, Co Waterford; Trim, Co Meath and Whitehall, Dublin, while the remaining 39 will vote in November.
Parents and guardians of preschool and primary schoolchildren in each area will be surveyed and they will have to supply the PPS number of the parent in receipt of child benefit to confirm that they are eligible to participate. Parents will initially be asked if they want a wider choice of school patrons, and will then be asked to vote in order of preference for the alternative patrons who have expressed an interest in running schools in their areas. They’ll also be asked if they prefer single sex or co-educational schools and if they would prefer an Irish-speaking or English-speaking school.
The Department of Education will run local media campaigns to get the word out, while information will also be available in schools and from the patron bodies. The survey will largely be conducted online, but there will also be a paper-based option for parents, and surveys must be submitted before November 9.
If a demand for alternative patronage is identified, the department will explore with the existing patrons the transfer of patronage of schools. It is impossible to estimate how many of the 3,000 Catholic primary schools will ever be handed over, and at what pace, but Education Minister Ruairi Quinn wants to name the first batch by next June.
The surveys follow on from recommendations from the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, which set out a roadmap for the handover process.As well as providing greater choice on grounds of religion, the advisory body also highlighted a need for more allIrish schools. Mr Quinn described it as a historic opportunity for parents to reshape the primary school landscape for generations to come and urged all those eligible to make sure that their voices were heard. He said for many parents this would be the first time they would have a real say in the type of primary school they want their children to go to, whether it was denominational, multi-denominational, allIrish or another kind.
The survey process will be overseen by the independent New Schools Establishment Group and detailed reports on the outcomes will be published. The department has set up a free helpline for anyone who has any difficulties with the survey – 1800 303621 – which will be open Monday to Friday, 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-5pm.
www.independent.ie
Would-be patrons to face strict code of conduct rules
October 22, 2012
Strict rules that include a ban on leaflet drops and budget limits on marketing material have been applied to prospective patrons to ensure a level playing field.
The code of conduct was drawn up in consultation with the five patron bodies applying to take over Catholic schools in areas where demand for change emerges from the parental survey process that begins this week. The local city or county Vocational Education Committee (VEC) has applied to become a patron in all 43 areas where expressions of interest have been received, as has all-Irish schools’ patron An Foras Pátrúnachta. Educate Together is an applicant for all but five areas.
The National Learning Network, the training and employment division of the Rehab Group, has expressed interest in becoming patron to divested schools in five areas. The Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Nigerian-founded church which applied last year to be a patron in three areas of Dublin where new primary schools are planned, will also be an option for parents in five areas to be surveyed.
The Department of Education said the code of conduct is designed to ensure the surveys are conducted in a reasonable manner, avoiding contentious commentary. Among the key features is a requirement that existing and prospective patrons stick to describing the ethos of schools under their own patronage. “No subjective statements about, direct commentary on, or descriptions of schools under other forms of patronage should be made,” the code states.
Other requirements include:
* A spending limit of €300 per patron on information provision in each survey area, up to a maximum of €4,000 per organisation or group of organisations across all 44 areas;
* No direct canvassing parents through door-to-door canvassing, leaflet drops, telephone or email campaigns;
* Equal representation must be provided for patrons and prospective patrons at public meetings or media discussions.
The Department of Education will publish detailed reports on the surveys, which should be completed by the end of the year.
www.irishexaminer.com
Change in patronage of schools will be a slow process – Ruairi Quinn
October 22, 2012
Minister Quinn said that there are 3,200 primary schools in Ireland, 93% of which are under Roman Catholic patronage, for historical reasons.
He said there are a lot of people who want a Roman Catholic education for their children and there are many others who want something.
He said what the department is trying to do is to take a historical legacy and respect the voyage of young children through the educational process, while at the same time providing for a diversity of choice of parents.
Minister Quinn said that there is an online survey that parents can be take part in.
It is open to parents with pre-school and primary school going children in Arklow, Castlebar, Tramore, Trim and Whitehall in Dublin.
Surveys were recommended by the Forum on Pluralism and Patronage which published its report earlier this year.
The report of the forum suggested that up to 50 schools in areas where choice is limited or non-existent should change patron to provide for diversity.
Parents of young children in the five aforementioned towns will be surveyed to see what kind of school they want.
If there was a demand for change, they will talk to existing school patrons about the transfer of schools. A further 39 areas will then be surveyed.
The first such transfers are likely to take place in the capital.
The Catholic archdiocese is currently engaged in what it calls a “reorganisation” of its schools.
RTÉ news understands that one such reorganisation is close to completion and could result in the transfer of one Catholic school to multi-denominational status in the very near future.
Minister insists Junior Cert overhaul will go ahead
October 22, 2012
The major overhaul of the Junior Certificate will proceed as planned despite teachers’ claims they have not been consulted, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn insisted yesterday.
While the executive of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (Asti) met to consider the changes announced last month by Mr Quinn, he was outlining the plans to school principals at their annual conference in Galway. Among the planned changes to be phased in from 2014 is that teachers will set and mark exams and project work for their own students. Irish, English, and maths will continue to be set by the State Examinations Commission, for a few years. Mr Quinn told the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals that the changes will go ahead as announced.
“The decisions have been made, that’s my responsibility as a politician and minister — to make decisions and then consult people about how to implement them,” Mr Quinn said.
“It’s an important distinction. Some of our colleagues in the education space have confused the two.”
An Asti statement said its standing committee has made plans for a consultation among its members over the coming months, with the findings to be given to Mr Quinn after a national conference in April.
“There is a lot of anger in schools that the views and experiences of teachers were not sought before these reforms were announced,” Asti president Gerry Breslin said.
The plan was based largely around a draft framework produced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, which includes teacher union representatives, a year ago. Mr Quinn went further than its recommendations by making the entire exam and assessment plans school-based.
“While the Junior Certificate has flaws, one of its greatest strengths is that it has a high status in the minds of students, teachers, and parents. The decision to axe State certification at junior cycle level will have a negative impact on students’ educational experiences,” Mr Breslin said.
Mr Quinn said yesterday there should be no additional work for teachers and that training will be provided on assessment methods and moderation procedures to ensure fairness and transparency. School work done in second and third year will be worth 40% of marks in each subject and will be set and marked by students’ own teachers. Mr Quinn said he had incorrectly referred to this element as continuous assessment. “It’s not continuous assessment, it’s periodic work programme assessment, I want to clarify that,” he said.
www.irishexaminer.com
Teachers reaffirm opposition to Junior Cert changes
October 22, 2012
Second-level teachers have reaffirmed their opposition to the proposed changes in the Junior Cert.
The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is to begin “a comprehensive programme of consultation with teachers in second-level schools all over Ireland” on the new plans.
The decision follows a meeting of the ASTI standing committee or executive yesterday which reaffirmed the union’s view that junior cycle reform must be educationally sound and workable.
The consultation initiative will include meetings with teachers in schools and a national conference in April 2013. Findings will be communicated to the Minister and other stakeholders.
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Rath ar an nGaeilge in Ard Mhacha
October 19, 2012
