Results 9,281-9,300 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes. Senator Moran also inquired about the position with junior cycle reform, as did Senator O’Donnell. There is generally a strong commitment to junior cycle reform, but teachers are concerned about specific issues, mainly relating to assessment rather than the form of the curriculum. I have had one meeting with them already and I intend to meet them again in October. I have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am sorry about that. I will revert to the Senator on the matter. I do not think there is an absolute requirement to have special qualifications, but it is something we can consider.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are specific courses available for people teaching in those schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will be very quick. Senator Jim D’Arcy raised the issue of small schools. I responded to that question already. Education and training boards, ETBs, have been excellent in terms of how they have dealt with reform and change. I met with the heads of all the ETBs. I accept that they have issues, and we are addressing them. They have big demands on them but, by and large, they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are probably straying into another area.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Again, I cannot pre-empt what will happen in the budget. I am afraid that is as much as I can say on the matter. I will revert to Senator Naughton on her question. There are significant programmes on bullying. The most recent announcement on the issue related to funding for parents’ councils to provide training for parents and members of boards of management.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will go back briefly to the early years because Deputy Charlie McConalogue raised the issue again. The issue around the quality of the curriculum and the investigation into all the courses will take a matter of months. The advisory group will consider a number of matters on an ongoing basis. That is not a set period. Aistear and Síolta as the Deputy said are the two programmes for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is a bit rich to get a lecture on years of cutbacks from somebody in a party that presided over the reason we have the cutbacks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am not going to make any apologies for cutbacks in recent years. They were absolutely built in by the troika in collaboration with the Government of which Deputy McConalogue was a member. I want to ensure we have a better system for the future. That is why I am fighting very hard for the budget this year. We will try to go back to many of these issues in the coming years when there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will examine what can be done about voluntary contributions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I do not know whether I can prohibit them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear that there is no compulsion to pay and that in making a contribution parents are doing so of their own volition. That is the policy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Members have made strong and fair points on this issue. We will examine whether the voluntary contribution system is being administered correctly in schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It depends on the type of school involved. Schools are obliged to keep accounts setting out certain information-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It depends on whether the Deputy is referring to fee-paying schools or non-fee-paying schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have a certain amount of information-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will find out that information for the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank members for raising it. The broadband programme for post-primary schools is 95% completed and we hope to have it entirely rolled out by the end of the year. There are 55 schools remaining to be brought on board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We encourage teachers to participate in training. We have had discussions with the teacher unions on the reformed junior cycle, but the talks are suspended to allow a ballot to take place. I will be meeting again with union representatives in due course and hope that engagement will make a difference.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It has been brought to the Government by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There are a number of European funding programmes, including this one. The deadline for the submission of the preliminary application to the European Union was in July. That target was reached and there are ongoing discussions. The intention is that we will receive the funding required.