Results 741-760 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Implementation of Junior Cycle Student Award: Minister for Education and Skills (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am glad Deputy Griffin has raised the matter, because it has not been discussed. At the moment it will be a school certificate, similar to first year exam results or the report at the end of first, second or fifth year. Transition year does not have an exam in the same way. Many people have raised the concern that different certificates would not have the same standing - in other words,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Implementation of Junior Cycle Student Award: Minister for Education and Skills (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: We want to change the current education standards. That is what this is all about. Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell mentioned rote learning. Some things must be learned by heart but students do not have to memorise a prepared answer to an anticipated question. We have to learn multiplication tables, history dates and the significance of 1914 etc., and that is carried in a person's memory...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Implementation of Junior Cycle Student Award: Minister for Education and Skills (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Senator used the phrase "rote learning".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Implementation of Junior Cycle Student Award: Minister for Education and Skills (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is a generic title applied to learning answers prepared by a teacher for anticipated questions. When we use rote learning, that is generally what is being referred to. Senator Moran spoke about competition between schools within towns, and this is something we could discuss. At an operational and professional level I would love to be able to sit down with my officials and teacher unions...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Implementation of Junior Cycle Student Award: Minister for Education and Skills (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I will go through them quickly in the order in which I took notes on each contribution. There will be a little bit of repetition. I will provide some facts first. The change to the junior cycle has been on the cards for the past 25 years. The attempt to get the intermediate and group certificate merged into a new junior certificate was supposed to come with a change in the way the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Implementation of Junior Cycle Student Award: Minister for Education and Skills (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to come before the committee and update members on the progress made to date on the implementation of the JCSA. I spoke to both Houses on these reforms shortly after the framework was launched in October 2012. I was very pleased that both Houses unanimously endorsed them. I also explained why I was making changes to junior cycle. Research, and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Shortages (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), which is funded by my Department advises the Irish Government on current and future skills needs of the economy. It has a central role in ensuring that labour market needs for skilled workers are anticipated and met. A new report published recently by Forfás and the EGFSN, 'Assessing the Demand for Big Data and Analytics Skills, 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has developed a range of documentation relating to the support of students with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. In particular this would include "Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties – A Continuum of Support" (for Primary Schools), "A Continuum of Support for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department in February last for the provision of one additional mainstream classroom and for additional ancillary staffing facilities. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department's overriding objective is to prioritise available funding to meet demographic demand and to provide essential classroom accommodation where additional teachers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that I have published a draft General Scheme for an Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill, 2013 as well as Draft Regulations on Content of Policy and Draft Regulations on Admission Process for discussion ahead of enacting legislation. These are available on the Department's website. The Government recently gave approval for drafting the Education (Admissions to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies Data (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: For the Deputy's information there are no commercial semi-state companies under the aegis of my Department. Details of non commercial agencies under the remit of my Department can be downloaded from the Department's website.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The assessment of means under my Department's student grant scheme is based on gross income from all sources. Therefore, all income is assessed from the same starting point, eliminating any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions. The means test arrangements of the student grant scheme are applied nationally. In the case of both employed and self-employed applicants,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The building project for an extension to the school referred to by the Deputy is included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender and Construction in 2014/15. The design team on the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work it has now been agreed by my Department that extensive refurbishment works to the existing school will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the schools referred to by the Deputy is completing stage 2(a) of architectural planning. Following the Stage 2(a) Stakeholders meeting which was held in February 2014 between my Department Officials, the Boards of Management and their Design Team, an addendum report was requested to clarify a number of points. This report has been received and is under review....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Remuneration (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The contractual position in respect of the working hours of SNAs is as outlined in their contracts of employment which were agreed with the school management authorities and the relevant Trade Unions representing SNAs (IMPACT and SIPTU) prior to their introduction in 2005. The agreement reached between the parties found expression in the two circular letters issued in 2005 detailing the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools with four teachers or less. The first phase of the budget measure took effect from September 2012. The final phase of the budget measure takes effect from September 2014 and will not be suspended. My Department has expanded...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (13 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced details of the schools that will receive Summer Works Scheme funding in 2014 in respect of applications submitted for Categories 1 to 6 i.e. Gas, Electrical, Mechanical, Toilet Facilities and Roof Works projects. In total, I have approved the spending of more than €70 million on the Summer Works Scheme to allow 772 schools undertake...