Results 2,401-2,420 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Quality and Standards in Schools: Chief Inspector at Department of Education and Skills (19 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I wish to make two points. In the area of self-evaluation, I take it that the entire school community would be involved in that - parents, teachers and pupils. I seek clarification on that. Will Dr. Hislop give us more information on what the detailed school inspections entail? Would the inspectors look at the provision of special education within a school? Would they inspect that as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Quality and Standards in Schools: Chief Inspector at Department of Education and Skills (19 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Before the meeting concludes, may I have an answer to my question on special education?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Quality and Standards in Schools: Chief Inspector at Department of Education and Skills (19 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I seek a one-line response on who inspects the inspectors.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (20 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties faced by schools such as a school (details supplied) in Dublin 5, who worked hard to introduce a book rental scheme and as a result are not now entitled to the grant of €150 per pupil attending DEIS schools to set up book schemes; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that their...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 100. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the anomalies within the Student Universal Support Ireland grant application system that are causing extreme hardship for many students. [9431/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: My question relates to Student Universal Support Ireland and the anomalies and hardship the criterion of estrangement is creating for students.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I want to focus on people under the age of 23 who may be estranged from their parents. I will give two examples of the difficulties that are being caused. I know of a student who has provided SUSI with letters from her local general practitioner, from the counselling services within her college and from other Government Departments stating that she is estranged from her parents. I am...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is correct.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I appreciate that. I want to record that the SUSI system has been much improved this year. Great advances have been made. The number of cases coming into my office this year is quite small. I had to deal with hundreds of cases last year. We are talking about a small number of cases of parental estrangement. I will mention the example of a woman under the age of 23 who is married and is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are proposals by a number of patron bodies to amalgamate primary schools and the distress that this is causing to parents and pupils as a result; and his plans to address this situation. [9432/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I am happy to wait for the Minister's response.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Perhaps that is the way it should happen but, unfortunately, that is not what is currently happening on the ground. I will give the Minister two examples. The first is in Dublin 10 where there is a proposal by a patron body to amalgamate a number of schools and close one national school. The school it is proposing to close has specially built autism units while the school with which it is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I thank the Minister. He is aware of both cases. The Edmund Rice Schools Trust, ERST, called in the staff and patrons of the four schools, including the bishop, and told them that the proposal was to close the North Monastery primary school and amalgamate it with St. Vincent's Convent national school, which is a fine school in its own right. The ERST then stated that it would hold a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: The only reasons being given for this are financial.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I trust that, when this matter lands on the Minister's desk, he will examine it properly.

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 138. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to accommodate the 15% increase in the numbers beginning second level education over the next five years; his plans to address teaching shortages in some subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9163/14]

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Deputy McConalogue has pointed out some of the issues we are facing in the post-primary sector. It is very hard to estimate how many teachers will retire out of the system and what their specialist subjects are. That will obviously have a knock-on effect. By 2020, we are looking at a 15% increase in the number of students at post-primary level, to a figure of more than 71,000 students who...

Other Questions: School Curriculum (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 282. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the specific qualifications required to teach the new politics course at leaving certificate level. [9229/14]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 140. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is concerned at some of the lessons that are being taught to children by external groups in schools for sex education; and if he is concerned at some of the teaching methods they use which have been the subject of recent media reports. [9162/14]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (25 Feb 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to recent proposals by religious patrons to close a number of primary schools across the State and the consequences this will have for children and communities. [9165/14]