Results 11,961-11,980 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations, determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. In view of this I have forwarded...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2010, the NCTE provided teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to 11,353 teachers via the education centre network and on-line. The cost of delivery of this CPD in 2010 was € 958,751.22. A wide range of courses is provided by NCTE consisting of standard, NCTE-designed courses, courses tailored to the needs of the school (known as Whole School Training), more informal support...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2010, the NCTE funded the INTO to provide 2 courses to 597 teachers in total. The total cost was €52,966.20 (including the cost of course updates, tutor training, administration and related fees). Courses for which the delivery was part-funded in 2010 were: Supporting and Developing ICT as a Teaching and Learning Resource Beyond 2020: Using Technology in the Primary School. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: NCTE courses are unique in that they are designed and delivered by qualified teachers based on nationally and locally identified need and government priorities, such as literacy and numeracy. They are available throughout the year and are fully funded by NCTE, so that teachers do not have to pay course fees. Most courses are delivered face to face to ensure that teachers gain adequate...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The redundancy application made by the person referred to by the Deputy is currently being processed and will be paid to her shortly.

Written Answers — Teacher Numbers: Teacher Numbers (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 211 and 212 together. The five state funded Colleges of Education offer the Bachelor of Education for primary teaching and four of the Colleges offer an 18 month post graduate primary education course. Hibernia College, a private provider, also offers a postgraduate course. There are 15 providers of Post Primary initial teacher education courses. Students...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 231 together. The Deputy will be aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 216 together. The Deputy will be aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating teaching staff and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to special schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The NCTE does not seek applications for funding in relation to the provision of courses as it is fully engaged in delivering its own training programme. However, if an application is received from an Education Partner body, it is considered in accordance with Department guidelines and in particular if the proposal will advance the ICT programme in schools. Approval is also subject to the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: No decisions have yet been taken regarding the payment of the primary school minor works grant in the current school year. Schools have been informed that they should not enter into any capital commitment in anticipation of the minor works grant being paid this year.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: It is a longstanding custom and practice in some schools at primary level that the roll books are completed through Irish and for schools to translate the names of pupils and in some cases the addresses, to Irish for this purpose. However, it is open to schools to use the English version if they wish.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy's question refers to a proposal for an academy for children with autism which was submitted to my Department for consideration by Achieve ABA. The Deputy will be aware that my Department had no direct funding arrangements with the group in question. Consideration of this proposal took account of my Department's policy in this regard, which is focused on ensuring that all children,...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 222 and 229 together. The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, otherwise known as the Hunt report, lays out a clear possible development pathway for amalgamated institutes of technology, which meet specified performance criteria, to seek re-designation as technological universities. A small number of new technological universities, with their own...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that in the case referred to by the Deputy, an application for a grant made to the student's local authority was unsuccessful and that in a subsequent appeal made to the local authority the original decision was upheld. I also understand that a further appeal has now been made to the Student Grants Appeal Board. The board is independent in the exercise of its functions and is...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2010, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) completed a project on the compatibility of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) and New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications. As part of this project, compatibility statements in relation to higher education major awards at NFQ levels 7-10 were made. The full report is available on the NQAI's...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Based on the information provided by the Deputy, it would appear that the person in question has fully completed second level education and is therefore in the same position as any other person who finds that they need to take subjects in the Leaving Certificate Examination in order to pursue a particular course. The State Examinations Commission facilitates people to take the Leaving...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware 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. Circular...

Written Answers — School Textbooks: School Textbooks (14 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I recently met with educational book publishers, representatives of parents' organisations and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul regarding the cost of school textbooks. Subsequently, the publishers devised a voluntary Code of Practice and, while I welcome the Code as a significant step in the right direction, I believe that more should be done to reduce the price of textbooks. Accordingly. I...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Jul 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to inform the Deputy that there will be more Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts this year than there were last year. There is therefore no estimated budget saving. 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts are being provided for SNA support for the coming school year. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector vacancies are being filled up to this...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (21 Jul 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: There are 739 post primary and 3336 primary schools connected to the Schools broadband network. In addition to this there are 78 post primary schools on the 100mb piloy project and 9 primary schools on the Hermes project. 4% of post primary and 3% of primary schools are not connected to the schools broadband network. I understand that many of the schools who have declined a connection from...