Results 5,441-5,460 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

School Discipline. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The guidelines are composite and cover the management of schools and other areas. The type of discipline problems and bullying may have changed but the basic issue of how to deal with them has not. The best way to deal with these issues is to make sure there are agreed policies at school level between the management, the principal, staff, students and parents. Therefore, it is not so much a...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The home tuition scheme is primarily intended to provide compensatory instruction for pupils who have a medical ailment that is likely to cause major disruption to their attendance at school. In this context, my Department provides home tuition grants in respect of pupils who cannot attend school at all or who are absent for a significant proportion of the school year. I stress that children...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Rather than seeing this as a cut, I would see it as a development in that full-time schooling has been provided for these children.

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The home tuition grant is designed for children who are not in school. What is really important is that these children get the type of education they deserve and need in whatever school setting they are in, be that a special class, special school or a mainstream school. Where a child is in a mainstream school, I understand that he or she also has five hours of resource teaching, which is over...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The purpose of the home tuition grant is to assist children whose education needs are not being met by virtue of having a place in a school or a special class.

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: It is provided for children who are out of school for medical reasons, missing school for protracted periods or who do not have a school place. There are children who do not have a place in school and the home tuition grant will continue to be paid in respect of those children. However, I am very anxious, through the National Council for Special Education, the special needs organisers and the...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The policy decision on not paying the home tuition grant to children in full-time education whose needs are being met in the schools has been taken, but it is to ensure that their needs will be met in the school setting, and that is the requirement now.

School Staffing. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring that all children get the support they need to do well at school is a major priority for the Government. To ensure children with low levels of competence can succeed at school, my Department gives additional support to their schools which can take the form of financial assistance, additional temporary teacher posts or portions of teacher posts. Guidelines have also been produced for...

School Staffing. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Every time I mention 800 language support teachers I take a breath because it has been an extraordinary development over the past few years. It is a relatively new area and must be kept under review. Last year I met a number of principals who were affected by large numbers in their schools. In addition to the issue of teaching English, they identified cultural, family and societal supports...

School Staffing. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Of course we are looking at both, however the cultural aspect should not be underestimated when dealing with these children. That message came very strongly from the principals and schools I visited. We should not think that the 800 language support teachers in our schools and the grant money to the 425 other schools alone will solve the issue. They will not but I am also looking at the issue...

Music Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I take it the Deputy is referring to the report of a feasibility study entitled A National System of Local Music Education Services, prepared by Music Network and published in 2003. Among the recommendations contained in the Music Network report was that a series of music education partnerships would be developed between the county-city development boards and the vocational education...

Music Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Arts education is one of the seven curriculum areas in primary schools and, as such, is a core part of the curriculum. The music curriculum is designed around the strands of listening, responding, performing and composing activities. In disadvantaged schools, in particular, the school completion programme has funded a number of initiatives involving music, for example, choirs, bands and...

Music Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Deputy Keaveney, given her personal and professional interest in this matter, will realise the importance of music in the development of everybody, including Deputy Finian McGrath, a well-known performer.

Music Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: One of the most moving uses of music I have witnessed was in the Central Remedial Clinic which treats children with highly specialised needs. The clinic has top-class technological equipment for music and dance which is used as a key part of the children's development and education. I have also observed the use of rhythm and music in the education of autistic children, for instance, the...

Music Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I probably agree with everything the Deputy has said about the importance of music and the person's holistic development. We could probably all talk about the person's self-esteem and the value of music. Approximately a dozen arts programmes ran as summer schools last year to promote literacy in some disadvantaged areas among six to 11 year olds. These are the types of initiatives we have...

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I have received a copy of the letter in question which seeks the exclusion of education from the draft EU services directive. While the negotiation of the services directive falls within the remit of the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, the Department of Education and Science is in continuing contact with that Department regarding the evolution of the draft directive. The Deputy...

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the directive is still under debate it would be premature to offer a definitive opinion.

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy heard the answer I gave. The Department of Education and Science has raised various issues and it appears to be satisfied that the vast majority of education is excluded because of the nature of our free education system. Obviously, we will keep developments under review. Various law cases have strengthened our understanding. In a Belgian case, it was deemed that a course taught in...

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Programmes of education provided as part of a national publicly funded education system would not be considered to be services within the meaning of the treaty, even if their fees are paid. Courses given in an establishment making an economic profit and financed by private funds would fall within the scope of the directive. The directive is very confusing for everybody, which is why we must...

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: We have raised a number of issues to ensure that education as we see it, as a social and cultural contribution to the country and not an economic one, would be excluded from the scope of the services directive.