Results 3,661-3,680 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I mentioned earlier that all the processes and measures we have in place were reviewed by public health officials prior to the return to school. Regarding the specific measures in place should an incident arise in a school, we have enhanced school teams, with public health being supported by personnel from the Department of Education. There is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: It is our experience that the tests are to be "red-batched", to quote the phrase that is used. It ensures priority testing so the result will be back expeditiously.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to make a point of clarification relating to decisions being made and so forth. The public health decisions will still be made by public health officials. That is where the expertise lies. I wish to be clear and upfront about that. Public health will be supported by staff from the Department of Education but all public health decisions relating to what happens in a school and how a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As I outlined earlier, the calculated grades process or the accredited grades process, as it will be this year, will be overseen by the State Examinations Commission. There is currently a tender process for a contractor. The issues the Deputy referred to will be worked out with the SEC, but it is likely we are looking at, similar to the junior certificate, achievement for the cohort of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: That programme is run out of the office of the Minister for Social Protection. As part of budget 2019, there was a pilot scheme which began from September 2019 to provide hot meals-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thought it was on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Can you see me now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: My apologies. The pilot scheme in 2019 benefited approximately 6,700 students at a cost of €2.5 million. A further €5.5 million was made available in the last budget. That means the students who heretofore were availing of the cold lunch option are now in a position to avail of the hot lunch option. This is a very important scheme and I appreciate the Deputy raising it. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The Deputy is correct that the review group has met. The technical group is working on specific issues in the programme for Government, such as those pertaining to the school of closest proximity, for example, as well as other aspects. It is my hope and expectation that we will have an interim report in the short term and there will be scope to conduct a more in-depth report later. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: On the matter of the provision of additional resources in schools, especially for leaving certificate students, it must be acknowledged that we were more cognisant of that issue as we moved forward in our planning this year. More than 1,000 additional posts were made available for second level schools. That has been a major increase in support in our schools. On teachers being...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge it as an indisputable fact that students are best served when they are in school. Notwithstanding that, we are living in the reality of a Covid-19 pandemic in which all of society in this country, within reason, is closed down. It is a significant endorsement of the importance of education in Irish society that education and childcare are the only sectors...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Senator, who referenced the digital divide. I acknowledge the sincerity with which she raised those points. Without doubt, there will always be issues on the ground about this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I apologise but the video appears to be switched on. The Senator spoke about the digital divide and I am very conscious of it. In the past year alone and throughout the pandemic, over €100 million in financial resources have been made available to schools specifically with regard to information, communication and digital technology, etc. This was to afford schools the opportunity to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Chairman. I appreciate the point he made on principals. There are issues around teaching principals, which I was very cognisant of as part of the school reopening plan. Additional days were made available to support the work of teaching principals in recognition of the particular difficulties they faced in managing many additional responsibilities due to Covid. On making an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In respect of senior cycle reform, the NCCA has worked through it and has done a body of work which has almost been completed. It is currently finalising its report which will be submitted to me and officials in the Department. We will study it. I am conscious that it will most certainly provide a springboard for further discussion and an ultimate decision in terms of how we will progress...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: On the High Court case issued today, the Department is currently reviewing it. It is a fairly lengthy decision and will take some time to review. The Chairman's second question related to the leaving certificate exam for 2021. I wish to acknowledge that, as I said previously, this year students have a choice. The accredited grades system and the opportunity to do written exams addresses...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As I said, the guidelines and mitigation measures we have in place in schools were fully appraised and reviewed rigorously prior to the return to school, as happened when we first put them in place following public health advice. They were recently reviewed prior to the current return to school. The guidelines on ventilation issued in September, and updated in late November and early...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Chairman and the committee. I appreciate the enormous body of work, in particular, that has gone into the key recommendations of the joint committee's report on Covid-19. It is an excellent document. I look forward to continuing to engage with the committee. I appreciate the experience and the shared interest members all have in advancing education positively.

Reopening Schools and Leaving Certificate Examinations: Statements (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I am happy to be here to continue the discussions which some of the Deputies in the Chamber today and I had at the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science yesterday. I will share my time with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. The House will be aware of the significant announcements and developments in recent weeks about students...

Reopening Schools and Leaving Certificate Examinations: Statements (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The music exams will proceed. When we made our announcement we were clear that, to the greatest extent possible, oral and practical exams would be part of the written exams in June. There are three subject areas for which, on public health advice, will not be possible, namely, construction studies, engineering and physical education, PE. We have taken public health advice on all of this. ...