Irish Independent Thursday 8th February 2018
A new internet resource for Second and Third Year SPHE classes aims to empower teens to deal with the ‘sextortion’ threat, writes Katherine Donnelly.
A recent survey of Irish second-level students showing that one in three Sixth Year pupils have sent a sexually explicit image is a wake-up call for those not already alert to the full extent of the perils of the online world.
Read more:
Irish Times Monday 5th February 2018
School heads propose changing exam dates to tackle crisis in recruiting examiners.
Read More:
Funding for post-Leaving Certificate courses will depend on their ability to match the staffing needs of local employers, under proposed new regulation of the sector.
Teachers, equipment, and other resources are needed if physical education is to be a realistic Leaving Certificate subject choice in all schools, principals have warned.
The message follows this week’s announcement by Education Minister Richard Bruton that the new PE subject will be available as an option in more than 50 schools from September 2018. The students in these first-phase schools will be able to take it as a Leaving Certificate exam in 2020, and it is planned to open it up to all the country’s second-level schools after that.
Many schools don’t have the gym facilities or equipment to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject in physical education (PE), principals have warned.
The Government will have to provide funding to ensure equitable access to the subject for all pupils, according to National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) director Clive Byrne.
Second-level schools in Dublin are being particularly badly hit by teacher shortages because of the housing crisis across the city.
There is a general lack of qualified teachers in a wide range of subjects, including Irish, home economics, and maths.
Irish Independent Tuesday 5 September 2017
This year in particular, our education system has shown itself to be diverse and inclusive, as well as amenable and even eager to change.
Coming from a fast-paced enterprise background, Education Minister Richard Bruton’s results-oriented approach to policy is shaking up the established order. Of course, his targets will put pressure on teachers and schools: his department’s Action Plan for Education, which aims to make Ireland’s education and training system the best in Europe by 2026, will require a long-term commitment of energy and enthusiasm.
Read More:
Irish Examiner Tuesday 6 June 2017
120,000 pupils will begin their leaving cert exams in over 5,000 examination centres tomorrow and the message to all of them from the people who have overseen their education is “keep things in perspective.
Issuing his organisation’s last minute advice Clive Byrne, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), said above all else it was important that students kept things in perspective. Read More
Irish Examiner Tuesday 9 May 2017
Recently, secondary teachers from the ASTI and TUI unions met at two separate conferences to discuss the state of Ireland’s post-primary education system and to outline their demands and vision for the immediate future.
One particular issue dominated both: guaranteed pay parity for new teachers. Because of austerity-era pay cuts, newly qualified teachers hired from 2011 are paid less than their more established counterparts.
Read More:
