Results 1,041-1,060 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I invite Deputy Sorca Clarke to speak.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The first question that leaps out to me is whether we want it. Do we want North-South mobility because looking at the numbers, I was surprised by how few students are travelling in either direction? It seems that on an individual student basis, you have to really want it because it is difficult. You would have to have your heart set on it. This was back when God was a boy but I remember...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is this across the board? Is this with autism, ADHD and dyslexia? Is it across the board or are some areas more affected than others?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Most colleges and universities have programmes of support for people with diagnoses of these kinds. Is there any flexibility? For example, in SETU where Mr. O'Mahony is based do people need to have the piece of paper to access the supports? Is there any flexibility in the institutions to allow people breathing space?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It strikes me as straight-out bananas. There is a massive history of dyslexia in my family. If someone is dyslexic in Ireland they are also dyslexic in Northern Ireland. They do not suddenly learn how to spell better. It seems an insanity to put this barrier in front of people. I want to touch on something that Ms Fitzpatrick raised. I am surprised to learn that so few people study a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Does Ms Fitzpatrick have any idea of how many people do not take a language to GCSE? It is a decision made very early on a person's education journey and it is a decision that will have consequences if they are interested in studying in the Republic. Does Ms Fitzpatrick know how many people find themselves locked out by a decision they make at the age of 13 or 14?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is possibly something on which the committee could request research. As Ms Fitzpatrick has said, the figures will be somewhere. My next question might be slightly unfair because I am asking Ms Fitzpatrick to speak for an entire cohort of students in the North. Changes have been made to the CAO system whereby there is a third tier for which students do not need CAO points. This is with...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am surprised by how low the numbers are. It does away with any argument or some idea that we would be undermining the system by encouraging more people to take up offers North-South. If we are serious about it then we should be serious about it. For sure there are a lot of barriers being put in people's way that do not need to be. It does not seem sensible to me.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I also thank the witnesses for their work and for coming before the committee and sharing their insights. It is very useful to get their point of view. We will be hearing the other side of the story after we take a short break. It is very important to hear the student voice and it has been very beneficial to the committee. I am sure it will be reflected in the final report. We will...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: On behalf of the committee, I welcome Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, president of the University of Galway who is representing Universities Ireland, Mr. Lewis Purser, director of learning, teacher and academic affairs, Irish Universities Association and Mr. Paul Hannigan, head of college, Atlantic Technological University, ATU, who is representing the Technological Higher...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We have gone slightly over time. I ask Professor Ó hÓgartaigh to briefly address his remaining points.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the professor. I invite Mr. Purser to make his opening statement.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Mr. Purser. I turn next to Mr. Hannigan, who is representing THEA.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the witnesses for their opening statements. The first member of the committee I will invite to speak is Deputy O'Callaghan.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Yes, as long as it is acceptable to the other members of the committee.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Senator. Which witness wishes to address these questions first?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: On a point of information, the Chair wrote to the Tánaiste on behalf of the committee asking that tertiary education be included as an issue for the North-South Ministerial Council. The response was that, while there were no plans for that currently, we had an executive back up and running in Stormont in the interim, which is the critical part. Mr. Purser has recovered.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Deputy Clarke may make a brief point.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Professor Ó hÓgartaigh wanted to come in on the previous question. I will call him first and then go back to the people in the room.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We have had a very useful session and covered a lot of ground. I had a list of questions written down but other committee members have raised many of them already. I am surprised by the figure that 173 people from the North are coming here to do level 8 courses, whatever about travel in the other direction. We talk about asymmetric flows. When one uses the word "flow" of course one...