Results 4,921-4,940 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The data requested by the Deputy are set out in the following tabular statement. Further Education. Number of Learners. Adult Literacy — part-time 33,873 Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme 5,512 Youthreach 3,282 Senior Traveller Training 1,084 Post Leaving Certificate 30,188 Back to Education Initiative, BTEI — part-time 16,372 Total...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (15 Dec 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 — State Examinations: State Examinations (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Standardised testing on a systematic basis has great potential to enhance the quality of teaching and learning for our students at classroom level and to provide valuable information for parents about their children's learning. It is also clear that test results, provided on a sampling basis, can also guide policies aimed at improving performance and combating educational disadvantage. I...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since 2003 my Department has published details of capital projects progressing through the system which have been prioritised in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large scale projects and put in place following consultation with the education partners. All applications for capital investment, including applications for sports hall facilities, have been assessed in...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A key element of DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion, is the putting in place of a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage in our primary and second level schools for the purposes of qualifying for resources, both human and financial, according to the degree of disadvantage experienced. This standardised system...

Written Answers — Tionscnamh Tógáil Scoile: Tionscnamh Tógáil Scoile (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Ta an scoil a luaigh an Teachta ag céim luath den phleanáil ailtireachta. Níos túisce i mbliana d'fhógair mé mionsonraí de 124 scoil a bhrostófaí tríd an gcéim phleanála ailtreachca agus ina measc siúd bhí an tionscadal le síneadh a chur leis an scoil seo. Scríobh oifigigh mo Roinne le húdaráis na scoile ar 31 Lúnasa den bhliain seo le hiliomad ceisteanna ar ghá dul ina...

Written Answers — Weight of Schoolbags: Weight of Schoolbags (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The report of a working group to examine potential problems caused by the weight of schoolbags, which was presented in July 1998, acknowledged that many of the solutions belong at local school level. One of the main recommendations of the report related to the need to heighten the awareness of the potential health hazards posed by excessively heavy schoolbags. In this regard, my Department...

Written Answers — Drugs in Schools: Drugs in Schools (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under Action 43 of the national drugs strategy, guidelines for developing a substance abuse policy were drawn up by my Department in consultation with the Department of Health and Children and the former health boards. These guidelines were issued to all schools in October 2002 to assist them in the development of appropriate substance abuse policies. The implementation of the guidelines is...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department's policy is to ensure the maximum possible integration of children with special educational needs, SEN, into ordinary mainstream schools. Where mainstream provision is not appropriate children can be catered for in special schools which are dedicated to particular disability groups. There are 107 special schools in the country at present. These schools cater for children from...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 98 together. The figures mentioned in the questions appear in the report of a European Union labour force survey. Of the 27 countries surveyed, the other countries mentioned were among the five with the highest percentages of the population between the ages of 25 and 64 participating in education and training. The EU average was 9.9%. For the purposes...

Written Answers — Child Sexual Abuse: Child Sexual Abuse (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Act 2005 provides for the establishment of an education finance board to administer a statutory education grants scheme for former residents of institutions and their families. The board will have a fund of approximately €11 million at its disposal and this will be managed by the National Treasury Management Agency on behalf of the...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware that some second level schools do not appear to be doing as much as they could to ensure that students with special needs are as welcome in those schools as students without special needs. I expressed my belief in this regard at the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals last October. However, this is a complex area, already governed by...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Virtually all of the allocated funding for the school building programme has been expended. The remaining balance will be expended before the end of the year.

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: There were some 39 recommendations in the report of the task force on the physical sciences, with costed proposals totalling an additional €244 million, of which €66.3 million would be a recurring annual cost. Progress has been made on implementing 25 of the recommendations and my Department continues to progress the recommendations as resources permit in collaboration and consultation...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department specifies the minimum academic requirements for entry to primary teacher training courses provided in the colleges of education. As part of these requirements all candidates, including school leavers, mature students and university graduates, must have secured a minimum of a grade C in higher level Irish in the leaving certificate or an approved equivalent. This requirement...

Written Answers — School Inspection Reports: School Inspection Reports (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: During the summer I announced that my Department would publish school inspection reports arising from the general programme of school inspections. Under this programme a selected number of schools is inspected on a cyclical basis. Reports arising from the general inspection programme for schools and centres for education will be published in their entirety and in accordance with the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Following my decision to provide for 100 extra post-leaving certificate, PLC, posts, my Department approved a total of 1,600 extra places in PLC courses for the 2005-06 school year. In this regard it was open to school authorities to apply for additional teaching resources to cater for this increased enrolment. School authorities that applied for this increased allocation have to date been...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Detailed information in the format requested by the Deputy is not available but, should the Deputy have a question in respect of a particular school, I would be happy to provide a response. In general, the provision of general purposes rooms and multi-purpose spaces for primary schools is considered within the design brief for new schools and-or renovation-extension school building projects....

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The information is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy. However, regarding physical education, PE, facilities in schools generally, the PE curriculum has been designed on the basis that facilities in schools may vary. Many primary schools have a general purpose room and practically all schools have outdoor play areas that are utilised for teaching different aspects of...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (15 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The number of National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, psychologists has increased almost threefold from 43 on establishment to 121 at present. The Public Appointments Service has recently established new recruitment panels for the NEPS. Regional panels are now in place and my Department is currently in the process of appointing ten psychologists. Priority will be given to filling...