Results 1,161-1,180 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Acting Chairman for his indulgence. I covered much of it in subsequent interventions. I did attend a virtual meeting of European Ministers for education yesterday where we shared the latest updates and plans for reopening across Europe and the things learned and experienced in other jurisdictions continue to shape the development of our own detailed guidance. We are now...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I can assure the Deputy that the Department is not stale. There are 1,300 people working there and over the last three months they have been faced with unprecedented challenges. They showed amazing resilience and had the ability to be creative as well. On the issue the Deputy raised in respect of operators outside the Bus Éireann contract, he is correct that it is the Bus...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for asking these specific questions. His asked when the written leaving certificate examinations will be held. They will be held this year and the earliest possible date for that is November. I stated publicly that I would like those examinations to be held during the Hallowe'en break in October. They cannot be held in August because the calculated grades will not be...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: The first matter the Deputy raised was on monetary guarantees. There is going to be a cost involved but I reassure the Deputy that discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are ongoing and before there is any conclusion as to how school reopening will look in September, there will have to be financial commitments from that Department. That will happen. I take the...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: What was the question?

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Regarding the safe reopening of schools, at the heart of any decision will be the fact that the advice is clear. The advice we get from NPHET, and the advice we have always been getting, has been based on the safety of our citizens. It will be no different for schools. It will have to be safe and no Minister is going to make a decision that would put students or teaching staff in jeopardy....

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy has raised an important issue, and it is one on which I have had representation from the Acting Chairman, Deputy Lahart, as well as my party colleague, Deputy Brophy. I have asked my officials to give priority to this issue. The Deputy is correct to state that there are ongoing discussions to look at a potential solution. We are still in that space, but I am happy to go back...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I am happy to do so. The Deputy raised a number of issues and asked why we do not have the guidelines today. We do not have them today because the engagement with stakeholders is happening tomorrow. A central ingredient in this process, whether it relates to the junior cycle, cancelling written examinations or calculated grades, was to get buy-in from stakeholders. It has been an...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an dá cheist. Bhain an chéad cheist leis an chostas agus an buiséad chun na bunscoileanna agus na meánscoileanna a oscailt i mí Mheán Fómhair. Tá an ceart aige. Beidh costas níos airde i gceist. Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil comhrá ar bun idir an Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy. His comments included seven questions. My time might be a bit short but I will give it a go. We are not alone in our ambition to fully open schools. I was on a conference call with ministers from Northern Ireland, France and Denmark yesterday. Their ambition is to fully open schools in the new term. At the end of the day, there will still have to be guidance on...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I will deal with the last point first in respect of SNAs. I wish to publicly thank the SNAs for their ongoing work over the past months since 12 March. Somebody who spoke earlier was correct in saying that the school buildings may have closed but, like that of the teachers, the work continued. One of the additional features of the summer provision this year compared with July provision is...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I will rattle through those questions. Deputy Dillon raised the issue of the fifth year post-primary students. It has been raised a number of times in this House and it is something I am conscious of in terms of their own loss. It was not just about the leaving certificate students of 2020; it was the leaving certificate group of 2021. In terms of what we are doing in that instance and...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: My ambition is clear as I want to facilitate as many children with special needs as possible in summer provision. Traditionally, 70% of students go for home-based tuition and I cited 24,000 as the maximum number that could apply. Currently, we have nearly 10,000 and another 2,300 have been signed up to the Health Service Executive programme. I am still confident that more could sign up as...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Approximately 200 schools have registered for this and I thank every one of those schools for the work done. It is correct that they need the proper information and the guidelines must be right with respect to student and teacher safety. Last year, a grant was awarded directly to people with Down's syndrome for primary and post-primary education. This year, we have included primary...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for his questions. I am sorry that I will not get to the other pertinent questions from the other Deputies but I will try to answer these three as quickly as possible. In a normal year, 650 schools are eligible for July provision, including up to 126 special schools, as well as schools with special educational needs, SEN, based tuition. It was always 650 schools. Last...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for his contribution. One of the obvious gaps was in relation to special needs, so there was regression. That is anecdotal and measured through contact and interaction between our inspectorate and schools in terms of where the gaps were. One clear message right across the sector, whether tertiary, post-primary or primary, is that computers cannot replace teachers....

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: That is a very good question and I thank the Deputy for raising it. One thing that we did not have on our side, and I will probably be accused of not getting guidelines in quickly enough, was that schools were allowed to open as recently as last Friday week. We have been working on this for two weeks. We are working continually on the school transport issue with a focus on August and...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chathaoirleach agus leis na Teachtaí uilig as an seans labhairt leo arís inniu ar chúrsaí oideachais agus na dúshláin atá ann ina leith. I take this opportunity to provide an update on the planned summer provision and the preparatory work towards reopening our schools. When I was last in the House I advised that I would...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Student Support Teams play an important role in supporting the well-being of students.  The Student Support Team focus is on meeting the needs of individual students and supporting systemic change to promote social and emotional competence and wellbeing.   The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) in my Department supports the work of schools in establishing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Schools have been notified of the arrangements for the allocation of SNA support in respect of students in mainstream classes for 2020/21.  SNA allocations for special classes and special schools continue to be allocated, by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), in the normal way. There is a prescribed ratio for allocating SNAs to special classes.  ...