Results 3,581-3,600 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Special Educational Needs. (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The association said it recognises that every child does not need such a service. I was present and discussing a playground while a child slept on the shoulder of a special needs assistant, which is not good for the development of a child. It is important that the allocation of special needs assistants, working with the SENO, should ensure the service meets the needs of the child as he or she...
- Special Educational Needs. (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: No, it is much more than that.
- Education Welfare Service. (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service that is...
- Education Welfare Service. (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: It is important to have more co-ordination between these services. For example, there are 40 visiting teachers for Travellers. One of the groups with whom the National Educational Welfare Board works closely is Travellers, yet there are 40 people who do nothing else but visit schools where there are Travellers. We must ensure there is not an overlap in this type of work. These services should...
- School Curriculum. (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 72 together. At primary level, physical education is one of the seven curriculum areas within the primary school curriculum which was revised in 1999. A minimum of one hour of physical education per week is recommended for all primary school pupils. The curriculum has been structured to allow individual schools a high degree of flexibility and choice in...
- School Curriculum. (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: No, I do not envisage Jamie Oliver entering the school system. However, I envisage capital investment in schools, which amounts to â¬500 million this year, will provide for the construction of new schools and extensions as well as physical education halls and outdoor play areas. For example, outdoor play areas were upgraded under the summer works scheme this year. Every primary teacher is...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: In the five years since 2000 my Department has spent â¬39.2 million on the rental of temporary school accommodation, mainly in primary schools. In addition, my Department spent â¬73.5 million over the same period, on the purchase of prefabricated buildings in the primary and post-primary sectors. This expenditure was for the supply and installation of prefabricated buildings including...
- Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 95 together. Installation of the management information system for the 14 institutes of technology and the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute has been completed. The MIS system comprises four integrated elements â a student registration system, a financial system, a payroll-human resource system and a library system. The system tracks...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 107 together. Third level student support is currently provided through three means-tested maintenance grant schemes. The higher education grants scheme operates on a statutory basis, while the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme and the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees operate on an administrative basis. The statutory...
- Written Answers — Educational Services for People with Disabilities: Educational Services for People with Disabilities (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: At present, there is a range of support services for students with a disability in the institute of technology sector. These include learning support, including needs assessment and support for students with learning difficulties; assistive technology services and the provision of additional support staff such as sign-language interpreters or note takers. Students who have difficulty with...
- Written Answers — Technology in Education: Technology in Education (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: I am very committed to supporting the use of ICT in higher education, as a means to enhance teaching and learning, to widen and increase participation in higher education, and to allow the institutions to develop excellence and international reputation in this area. The Deputy will be aware that ICT is becoming an increasingly important part of the process of teaching, learning and research...
- Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides a statutory scheme of financial redress for persons who, as children, were abused while in residential institutional care for which the State had a regulatory or supervisory responsibility. The scheme applies in respect of institutions specified in the Schedule to the Act. Section 4 of the Act provides that the Minister for Education and...
- Written Answers — School Vending Machines: School Vending Machines (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 64 together. Vending machines may be placed in schools at the discretion of the board of management and are currently in most post-primary schools. In the case of the existing five PPP schools while the operator is responsible for vending machines, the location, content and availability of vending machines were agreed through discussion between the...
- Written Answers — Third Level Funding: Third Level Funding (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: In 2005 I have provided recurrent funding of â¬671 million to the university sector and â¬475 million to the institute of technology sector. This represents an increase of approximately â¬41 million or almost 6.5% on the 2004 provision to the university sector and more than â¬30 million or 7.5% in 2004 comparable funding for the institute of technology sector. The additional funding being...
- Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school...
- Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: An application and related correspondence has been received from County Donegal Vocational Education Committee requesting funding towards the development of phase 3 of Gartan Outdoor Education Centre. The position in relation to the capital project which is currently under way at Gartan has been outlined by the vocational education committee and this is being considered by officials in the...
- Written Answers — Schools Evaluation: Schools Evaluation (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, I am determined to provide more information, for parents in particular, about our schools, in a way that ensures a fair and comprehensive picture of all the different activities in a school. As I have said on many occasions, I am strongly opposed to the publication of crude league tables based solely on examination or test results. Such tables provide an...
- Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school...
- Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: There is no facility within the education system to measure the percentage of young people leaving post-primary schools with literacy difficulties. However, the results of PISA, the programme of international student assessment, provide detailed information on the standards of reading literacy among Irish 15-year-olds. In the second cycle of PISA, which was carried out in 2003, Ireland ranked...
- Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (11 Oct 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Significant improvements have been made in the pupil-teacher ratio and in average class size in recent years at primary level. The most recent figure available for average class size at primary level refers to the 2003-04 school year, when the average class size was 23.9, down from 26.6 in 1996-97. The pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, which includes all the teachers including resource...