Results 7,241-7,260 of 8,605 for speaker:Seán Crowe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 94: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8, having lost its special class, has been informed that it will not be sanctioned for a full-time resource teacher; his views that this will have a detrimental effect particularly for those children with special needs but also for all pupils in the...

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 95: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the review into the school patronage system across the Twenty-six Counties; and if it will be based on giving parents a clearer and more comprehensive choice for their children's education. [19246/11]

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 96: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 which, in spite of its catchment and pupil background, has not been granted disadvantaged status. [19247/11]

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 97: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that any reform of the junior certificate cycle be accompanied by meaningful consultation with teachers' unions, teachers' representatives and education bodies, that a change in the curriculum will endeavour to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio; if he will further ensure that external monitoring of continuous assessment...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 99: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown per county, the areas currently covered, the amount of psychologists available and the number of posts that are currently filled or remain unfilled by the National Educational Psychological Service. [19250/11]

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 100: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a comparative analysis of the ratio of pupils and special needs assistants servicing national schools compared to primary schools in the Six Counties. [19251/11]

Higher Education Grants (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Most families try, when their kids enter education, to budget for it over a number of years. However, having established that budget, many families now unfortunately are being obliged to pull their children out of education. In the case of one family with which I am familiar, it was a question of which child would be taken out of education. I refer to the pledge that was made and while I...

Higher Education Grants (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: As the Minister is aware, the difficulty will be with the grey areas and will affect those people who are on the edge or who are just outside the limit. However, the problem is worsening and increasing numbers of families and students are coming forward in this regard. Another difficulty arises in respect of some students who are lone parents but who also fall outside such thresholds. They...

Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: The Minister states the investment could be more than €290 million. Can a breakdown be provided of what has not been implemented? For instance, the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, of which I am a member, is carrying out an audit of the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement that have not been implemented. The investment needs to be rights-based. Is...

Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: We had choices as to how we could have dealt with it.

Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Therefore, we treat our citizens as second-class citizens.

Teaching Qualifications (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: I commend the work of the PDST which is excellent. However, there are deficits in teaching subjects through Irish. Those who come from a meánscoil and those teaching project maths and related subjects require technical support. It is not just a case of people being able to speak the language, they must have the technical ability to deliver it. I do not know the extent of the vacancies....

Teaching Qualifications (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Language activists and those involved in schools have said there is a weakness in the system. I will revert to the Minister of State. The people concerned have referred specifically to the teaching of chemistry and mathematics which need support if taught through the medium of Irish. Those delivering supports often do so through English rather than Irish. That is the weakness in the system.

Voluntary Contributions (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: What is really galling for many parents is the fact that these payments are supposedly voluntary. When addressing some of the teachers' conferences, the Minister referred to the book-lending scheme initiative and also said he would not put new books on the curriculum. We all support that initiative but how will it be rolled out? No one should be putting families under extra pressure,...

School IT Systems (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: I am aware of the initiative on rolling out broadband. One of the difficulties facing schools is the speed at which such a service can be accessed. Another difficulty can arise if an IT teacher retires because one must then buy in such expertise, which puts pressure on existing resources. It is increasingly happening and the issue is being discussed by boards of management which are trying...

Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 2: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding he intends to make available to complete the construction of new school builds and upgrades to existing buildings including snag lists that were the responsibility of builders who went out of business during the economic downturn resulting in many schools being left unfinished and unfit for use. [19503/11]

Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: We touched on this when we discussed the Estimates. I do not know the extent of the problem. I am aware of previous problems with subcontractors and with delays in payments to contractors. The only such evidence I have that schools have encountered such difficulties is anecdotal. Apparently, the process of accessing the bond mentioned by the Minister can be quite slow because the legal...

Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: I raised with the previous Minister the fact that many contractors are submitting bids that are too low. That is causing difficulty for legitimate contractors. The University of Limerick had a problem with a contractor recently. This issue arises with big and small jobs. It would be useful if a mechanism could be found to give us a sense of the extent to which this is having an impact....

Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Would the Minister agree to the review?

Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2011)

Seán Crowe: Question 5: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a report outlining the way a decision is made by him in which children with behavioural or special needs may lose a special needs assistant; the appeals process currently in place and the amount of schools, children and parents that have been informed that they are losing their supports next year. [19504/11]