Results 5,501-5,520 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Regional Technical Colleges (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I fully understand and sympathise with the sentiments that have been expressed in counties Wexford, Carlow and Waterford regarding the need for a top class third level university. However, that has to be balanced with where we are at the present time. We have seven universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT. There are 10,000 universities in the world. All our universities...

Traveller Education (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government sets out that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. To that end, we are committing during the tenure of this Government to improving the co-ordination and integration of the delivery of services to the Traveller community across all...

Traveller Education (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I will send the Deputy the detailed information he requires. We must assess how effective the allocation of resources was in the past in terms of the outcomes. A task to be carried out within the Traveller community and with the support groups for Travellers is to try to convince Traveller parents of the value of education in the first instance. Education starts in the home before young...

Traveller Education (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware that, for historical reasons, in certain towns in certain parts of the country with settled communities there is a large concentration of Travellers, including in parts of the Deputy's constituency. In a sense, the first step for the Traveller community in maximising educational opportunities for their children is to become settled. That has led, by virtue of the location of...

Programme for Government (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government outlines the Government's priorities over the next five years. It has a strong focus on education and skills and sets an ambitious work programme for me and my Department. My core fundamental priority across all areas of education, from early childhood education to training and higher education, is to improve the education outcomes for all our students. This...

Programme for Government (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: We need greater transparency in regard to the schools building programme. Some 75% of all representations to the Department of Education and Skills, under various Ministers, have been from school boards, school committees, worried parents and others as to where they are in the queue. It is my intention to provide more transparency and clarity so people know what is happening. The current...

Programme for Government (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I agree with the Deputy and we will try to do that this year.

Programme for Government (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Yes, it is, and we will have to be innovative in how we do it. Taking Navan as an example, we will have to undertake some type of inventory to ascertain the education infrastructure in the whole of Navan, irrespective of which school has what, and devise an holistic overview so we can maximise the utilisation of those resources for the 21st century rather than the 18th or 19th century when...

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government sets out that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. To that end, we are committing, during the tenure of this Government, to the publication of a plan for the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act...

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I appreciate the Deputy's remarks, and I should have congratulated him on his return to the House earlier. We must find ways to do more with less, that is where we are. If the Deputy has any suggestions in that regard, I would happily entertain them. We are in a new place and I would be misleading Deputy Crowe and every other Member of the House if I suggested otherwise.

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his question, his comments and his good wishes. I recognise in the presence of Deputies Smith and McConalogue that the previous Government ring-fenced the education spend but we have a growing population, with 500,000 in the primary school sector at present and that figure could increase to 560,000 within a few years. We are running to stand still in terms of...

Literacy Levels (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A key commitment of the programme for Government is the development and implementation of a national literacy strategy which includes the production of literacy action plans by schools, with school level targets linked to national targets. The Department is currently undertaking a public consultation process on a draft national strategy on literacy and numeracy covering the period up to...

Literacy Levels (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I welcome the Deputy's comments and his clear knowledge of the scale and extent of the problem. Literacy starts at home. By the time a four year old arrives in junior infants, outcomes in literacy have already been significantly determined by the commitment of parents, no matter what class or socioeconomic group. A child who is not read to when going to bed at night is an abused child. If...

Literacy Levels (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: It is my intention to devolve back to principals more autonomy and independence to do what they consider to be best. It is wrong that we have 3,200 primary schools stretching from the Aran Islands to the inner city of Dublin, or disadvantaged rural areas in Border counties with a one size fits all curriculum, with little discretion for the principal. In the context of resources and in terms...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The standardisation of the staffing schedule for gaelscoileanna so that it is the same as that which applies to primary schools in general is one of a number of measures in Budget 2011 to control and reduce teacher numbers. These changes will take effect from September next. Given the legacy of economic mismanagement on the part of the outgoing Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government and the...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Gabh mo leithscéal, ach níl Gaeilge maith agam. In that context, I am not sure if I understood everything the Deputy said. It is a reflection on the education system, in which I spent 14 years, that I can speak a number of languages other than English but that Irish is not one of these. My father was a fervent Gaelgóir and I was not, therefore, raised in a home that was hostile to the...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am conscious of the commitment and enthusiasm of parents, teachers and support groups for the gaelscoileanna movement. However, that movement really caught hold at a time when we believed we had one of the best education systems in the world and when our English language schools were ranked fifth in terms of literacy and numeracy. We have slipped down drastically when it comes to that...

School Size (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Ireland has a high proportion of primary schools relative to its population. It also has a high proportion of small primary schools. The majority of small primary schools are situated in rural locations. A review was initiated in October 2010 by the then Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government to establish the value for money being achieved from State funding of small primary schools. This...

School Size (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The timeframe is the end of this year when we get the result of the value for money review. It is, literally, a value for money review and nothing else. There is no prejudice on my part. I am open to all suggestions. The famous Stanley letter of 1831 laid the foundations of primary education in Ireland. At that time there were no cars, transport was by foot and the rural population was...

School Size (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not know the answer to that question. The decision to initiate the process was made in October of last year. The deadline for submissions was in February. I do not know what was the form of communication. I presume it was the website, but I will find out for the Deputy. I have no preconceived ideas about rural schools. We want to see what the value for money is. In other parts of...