Results 9,221-9,240 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Third Level Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to ensuring that young people from disadvantaged communities can access third level education. In addition to extra investment in supports aimed at improving the achievement levels of students from disadvantaged areas at school, reserving places in the third level colleges is an important component of this strategy. The commitment in...

Third Level Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish Deputy Terence Flanagan well. Cuirim fáilte roimhe go dtí an Teach. The numbers vary within the different colleges, but it is not possible to indicate from which specific constituency people come. The Deputy will be aware of the increased participation rate in third level education from people in all constituencies, particularly his constituency, which is encouraging. The...

Third Level Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As always, one bows not just to the Deputies, but to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in allowing such flexibility. We are very conscious of the needs of Gorey. Approximately half a dozen sites have been tested for technical suitability and the Deputy is aware one of those was rejected out of hand by the local community before any decision was made.

Third Level Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It was also rejected by the local community because it was a Coillte site. Both local and technical considerations must be taken into account. It is a priority to make progress on that school because the Gorey community school is too large.

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted, including the supervision of examinations. I am informed by the State Examinations Commission that it will again facilitate external candidates to...

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The student is responsible for finding the place where he or she will sit the exams. Students who attend private colleges or grind schools generally have provision made by those schools for the exams. The once-off external student, however, must go to the local school. I met a student who did not realise it was her responsibility to do that. Difficulties can arise when a student may have...

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission will facilitate the student and it is responsible for the operation of the system so that if the student has a special need, once the school applies, stating that the student needs an extra room, superintendent or tape recorder, the commission will provide that.

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It can say "no".

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The vast majority would sit the exams in recognised centres. I do not know if the State Examinations Commission can get involved with appeals in a local area as to who should sit where.

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The student is presumably attending somewhere.

State Examinations. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Often he attends the grind school in Dublin and wishes to go back to Roscommon or Galway to sit the exams. Generally, however, schools will facilitate. I will ask the State Examinations Commission what evidence it has of numbers who have not been facilitated and find out if it is more than the odd one or two.

Educational Disadvantage. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the report to which the Deputy refers, the scope of which reflects the wide variety of factors that are central to tackling educational disadvantage. The DEIS action plan is designed to provide children and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged areas with a comprehensive package of extra supports. DEIS represents a shift in emphasis away from individual...

Educational Disadvantage. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I welcome Deputy Catherine Byrne to the House and I note her interest in disadvantaged education. She put her finger on the matter when she referred to homework clubs and the provision of basic reading materials to improve literacy. One of the main objectives of our disadvantage plan is to target literacy and numeracy, not just in the context of smaller class sizes but also with programmes...

Educational Disadvantage. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I deliberately avoided using the term "disadvantaged" to label the new programme. It is called DEIS, which is delivering equality of opportunity in schools. It is all about opportunity. The word "deis" is the Irish word for opportunity, so I took it in that context. I particularly wanted to use a word that is not an acronym, because the education sector is full of acronyms. I am sure...

Educational Disadvantage. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: That was the idea of using the word "deis". Principals now state that their schools are in the DEIS scheme, whereas in the past they used to say the schools were in the disadvantaged scheme. That labelling has certainly disappeared from our perspective.

Science Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is fully committed to strengthening the quality of science teaching and learning, promoting increased scientific literacy and encouraging more students to choose science subjects. Progress in these areas is a vitally important part of our national strategy to support competitiveness and employment. Significant progress is being made in regard to curricular reform and in-service...

Science Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The investment in laboratories over the past few years has been significant, particularly through the junior certificate programme where there was a substantial investment in laboratories in 2003.

Science Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Since then, they have been provided under the summer works scheme where curriculum is one of the main criteria. Quite a number of schools have had their laboratories upgraded. All new schools and school extensions also have state-of-the-art laboratories. The senior cycle syllabus should now follow on the success of the junior certificate cycle, and that is being looked at currently.

Science Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The NCCA is now doing that as part of its review. I expect to receive recommendations on that issue. The important thing, however, is that we will see an uptake at leaving certificate level from the junior certificate. At junior certificate level, approximately 90% of students, if not more, when one subtracts the external students, take science for the junior certificate examination....

Science Education. (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Laboratory technicians are not a priority at present. The required investment is of better use in the other areas I have mentioned. I have no doubt that if we were to employ laboratory technicians in schools, there would be a knock on demand from all other practical subjects. If that were the case, it would cost up to €112 million per annum.