Results 4,581-4,600 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 434 and 491 together. As the Deputies will be aware, the general allocation of learning support-resource teachers, LS-RTs, is intended to cater for children with learning support and high incidence special educational needs. The system was constructed in order that LS-RT allocations would be based on pupil numbers, taking into account the differing needs of...

Written Answers — Third Level Colleges: Third Level Colleges (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that, following allegations of financial impropriety at the institution referred to by him, I asked the accountancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC, to examine the use of moneys paid by my Department to the institution in question. The main findings of the review, which I published in early August, revealed that there has been no misuse of the public moneys paid by...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 provides parents with an appeal process where a board of management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the board refuses enrolment to a student. It is only in cases where an appeal under section 29 is upheld that the Secretary General of my Department may direct the school to enrol a pupil. The National Educational Welfare Board, NEWB, can assist...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is most anxious that all children, including children with autistic spectrum disorders, receive an education appropriate to their needs. I can confirm for the Deputy that 20 hours per week home tuition has been sanctioned for the child in question for the 2005-06 school year pending appropriate educational placement. Grants are paid retrospectively on receipt of fully completed...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Sections 14, 15 and 23 of the Education Act 1998 assign each board of management and principal teacher responsibility for the day-to-day management of schools at both primary and post-primary level. Principals should organise supervision for the order and general behaviour of pupils during school hours. In particular, they should organise and participate in the effective supervision of the...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A person is considered to be a qualified primary teacher if she-he has successfully completed a teacher education course for primary teachers in a recognised college of education in the State; has otherwise successfully completed, in the State, a course recognised for the purposes of employment as a primary teacher or, if trained outside the State, has fulfilled all the requisite...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Language development is a central element of the revised primary curriculum. Although the focus is on English and Irish, a number of primary schools also offer foreign languages. My Department launched a pilot project for modern languages in primary schools in September 1998. The aims of the pilot project included the development of communication skills in four target languages which are...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Copies of the policy document referred to in Deputy Kenny's question have been received in my Department a few days ago. I note that the policy outlined by Conradh na Gaeilge proposes the following: that as part of their pre-service programme, teachers of languages at primary and post-primary levels would participate in a total immersion programme of one year's duration in a place where the...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is a fundamental principle of the primary and post-primary school curricula that due allowance should be made for individual student differences in ability, interests and circumstances. In accordance with this principle, the various programmes in Irish at first and second level are designed to cater for the learning needs of students with a wide diversity of learning ability. The study of...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 454 together. In accordance with the rules and programme for secondary schools, the approved course for the established leaving certificate must include not less than five approved examination subjects, of which one must be Irish. The exception to this is where a student has been granted an exemption from the study of Irish. There is no requirement to...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The report of the Irish Language Commissioner highlighted the fact that despite appreciable time devoted to Irish in the school system, many students emerge from primary and post-primary education without achieving a reasonable command of the language. Particular concerns were raised about students' command of the spoken language. While I absolutely accept that the standard of oral Irish, in...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The leaving certificate syllabus in Irish at higher level aims to foster a positive attitude towards learning the language among students and to provide students with an experience of studying Irish that is enjoyable, as well as offering intellectual and emotional stimulus. Specific objectives of the course in relation to the skill of writing include that the students will be able to express...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: At primary level, the recommended minimum time to be spent in the teaching of Irish as a second language is 3.5 hours per week, or 2.5 hours per week where a short day is provided for the infant classes. This excludes discretionary curriculum time. At second level, the syllabuses for the leaving certificate are designed around a recommended instruction time of 180 hours over the two years of...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The information sought by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The inspectors of my Department evaluate the standard of spoken Irish in the course of their work in school evaluation. Inspectors offer advice for the improvement of standards where necessary. They submit written reports to my Department which are then issued to the staff and management of schools. During the 2004-05 school year the inspectorate carried out a detailed evaluation of the...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The minimum entry requirement for all undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes for the primary sector is a grade C3 on a higher level leaving certificate Irish paper. This has been the position for more than ten years. As the Deputy may be aware, just over 40% of the marks for that exam derive from the oral and aural components. In the case of undergraduate programmes,...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that there are many opportunities available to primary teachers to improve their proficiency in their spoken Irish. The cuiditheoireacht service, which is part of the primary curriculum support programme, PCSP, continues to support teachers in schools on the teaching of Irish. The training is conducted through the medium of Irish. The support service has also...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Revised syllabi for both the leaving certificate higher level and ordinary level in Irish were introduced in September 1995 and first examined in June 1997. The syllabi are built on the communicative approach to the learning of Irish and expect an integrated approach to the development of the four language skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing. The syllabi outline a range of topics...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: There is provision for an optional oral examination in Irish at junior certificate level. Where schools opt to provide such an examination, the State Examinations Commission issues assessment guidelines to them for use by class teachers in assessing candidates. The optional oral Irish examination at junior certificate level is not assessed by the State Examinations Commission but by class...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: At present, in the leaving certificate examination at both higher and ordinary levels, 150 marks out of a total of 600 marks are available for the oral component of the examination. The Deputy will be aware that I am anxious to have more emphasis placed on oral Irish and that some months back I put the reform process in train when I asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to...