Results 501-520 of 5,087 for speaker:Kathleen Funchion

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 30. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he plans to ensure schools and teachers are resourced to support children who are homeless across the school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52197/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: My question relates to the current homeless crisis and how that is impacting children who are currently homeless and living in unsuitable hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation. What plans does the Department of Education and Skills have to give teachers and schools the necessary skills to deal with children who are experiencing a very difficult time of crisis in their lives? Would the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I raise this issue because there are 1,200 children in homeless accommodation who are attending primary school and 600 children who are attending secondary school. Those figures are from Focus Ireland. I was glad to hear the Minister mention school completion. I am a big advocate of that programme but its funding has been cut massively in recent years. It is struggling as it is so I do...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: The Minister mentioned that there is a support programme for teachers. Could he expand on that? Are there guidelines or some sort of guidance for schools? I ask this because many of the teachers I deal with are not aware of any supports for them to deal with children living in emergency accommodation. In terms of what the Minister said about Tusla, I was not aware it had a role. My...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 36. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he is planning to address the current and potential teacher shortages in STEM subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51902/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: My question concerns STEM subjects and the current and potential teacher shortages in those subjects. I know that the Minister has many ambitious plans around these subjects, but there is clearly an issue with the amount of teachers available to teach them. I would like to hear his thoughts on the matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I want to make a suggestion on the matter. I welcome some of the suggestions, especially of increasing the number of female students taking STEM for the leaving certificate by 40%. However, we need to start at post-primary level, because nobody is going to teach chemistry, physics or the other subjects if they have not studied those subjects at secondary school level. We need to...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I welcome that response. I have another suggestion which applies to the entirety of our education system and that concerns the whole idea of continuous assessment. Perhaps we can encourage students into these subjects by seeking to introduce a continuous assessment model. The subjects are quite difficult and are perhaps a bit more intimidating than other subjects. The idea of taking on...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 38. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reallocate the school completion programme back to the remit of his Department from the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, specifically Tusla, due to its relevance to the education portfolio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51804/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: This question concerns the school completion programme, which used to fall within the remit of the Department of Education and Skills but now falls within the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I would like to see the scheme back in the education portfolio, and I think many people would agree because it is much more suited to that area. Can this be examined?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I raise this matter because, as I said earlier, I am a huge advocate for the school completion programme. It is excellent. The general public probably does not know enough about it and all the good work it does because it is under the radar. That is what makes it so successful. While it is predominantly in DEIS schools, one does not have to be in a DEIS school to qualify for the school...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I understand that governance was an issue but I also understood that the ETBs had made a proposal to the Department to manage the school completion programme because some school completion programmes are currently managed by ETBs and work very well. That would have been a better model to look at rather than moving it to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. What are the Minister's...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 42. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider a continuous assessment element of all leaving certificate exam subjects as part of the leaving certificate reform; and his plans to consider introducing a life-skills class alongside the new syllabus subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51803/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: My question relates to the current reform of the leaving certificate syllabus and if the Minister will consider a continuous assessment element for all leaving certificate exam subjects, and look at the possibility of introducing a life skills class alongside the new syllabus subjects.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I have raised this issue because I believe that the current system is very unfair and inequitable. It is designed to be one size fits all. This is not the reality in the context of learning and education. Many Deputies will remember with dread the leaving certificate exam and the whole process around it. If we are considering reform of the leaving certificate programme we have an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank the Facebook representatives for coming in and taking the time. It is an important issue. I have to be honest and say that the Facebook Ms de Bailliencourt is describing is not my experience of Facebook or the experience of most people I know. I do not believe it is a forum free from harassment or bullying in any sense. I would not under any circumstances allow my children to use...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: It have reported content 50 or 60 times over four years. I am not talking about once or twice. Obviously, the company has a set form. It is only a tick-box exercise. An automatic response comes back. The software probably goes through the content and if it does not see something really obvious and damaging, then it is deemed to be fine. I do not see how a page could be reported...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I have everything and it is not just me. I come across people all the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: Facebook is great to stay connected with family and others but sometimes I wish it was banned because it is a negative thing for people.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Payments (12 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in County Mayo has not yet received its minor works grant; when the payment will issue; the way in which he plans to help small schools with teaching principals to deal with added administrative burdens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52794/17]