Results 13,521-13,540 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his question, his comments and his good wishes. I recognise in the presence of Deputies Smith and McConalogue that the previous Government ring-fenced the education spend but we have a growing population, with 500,000 in the primary school sector at present and that figure could increase to 560,000 within a few years. We are running to stand still in terms of...

Literacy Levels (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A key commitment of the programme for Government is the development and implementation of a national literacy strategy which includes the production of literacy action plans by schools, with school level targets linked to national targets. The Department is currently undertaking a public consultation process on a draft national strategy on literacy and numeracy covering the period up to...

Literacy Levels (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I welcome the Deputy's comments and his clear knowledge of the scale and extent of the problem. Literacy starts at home. By the time a four year old arrives in junior infants, outcomes in literacy have already been significantly determined by the commitment of parents, no matter what class or socioeconomic group. A child who is not read to when going to bed at night is an abused child. If...

Literacy Levels (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: It is my intention to devolve back to principals more autonomy and independence to do what they consider to be best. It is wrong that we have 3,200 primary schools stretching from the Aran Islands to the inner city of Dublin, or disadvantaged rural areas in Border counties with a one size fits all curriculum, with little discretion for the principal. In the context of resources and in terms...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The standardisation of the staffing schedule for gaelscoileanna so that it is the same as that which applies to primary schools in general is one of a number of measures in Budget 2011 to control and reduce teacher numbers. These changes will take effect from September next. Given the legacy of economic mismanagement on the part of the outgoing Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government and the...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Gabh mo leithscéal, ach níl Gaeilge maith agam. In that context, I am not sure if I understood everything the Deputy said. It is a reflection on the education system, in which I spent 14 years, that I can speak a number of languages other than English but that Irish is not one of these. My father was a fervent Gaelgóir and I was not, therefore, raised in a home that was hostile to the...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am conscious of the commitment and enthusiasm of parents, teachers and support groups for the gaelscoileanna movement. However, that movement really caught hold at a time when we believed we had one of the best education systems in the world and when our English language schools were ranked fifth in terms of literacy and numeracy. We have slipped down drastically when it comes to that...

School Size (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Ireland has a high proportion of primary schools relative to its population. It also has a high proportion of small primary schools. The majority of small primary schools are situated in rural locations. A review was initiated in October 2010 by the then Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government to establish the value for money being achieved from State funding of small primary schools. This...

School Size (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The timeframe is the end of this year when we get the result of the value for money review. It is, literally, a value for money review and nothing else. There is no prejudice on my part. I am open to all suggestions. The famous Stanley letter of 1831 laid the foundations of primary education in Ireland. At that time there were no cars, transport was by foot and the rural population was...

School Size (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not know the answer to that question. The decision to initiate the process was made in October of last year. The deadline for submissions was in February. I do not know what was the form of communication. I presume it was the website, but I will find out for the Deputy. I have no preconceived ideas about rural schools. We want to see what the value for money is. In other parts of...

School Staffing (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not propose to give any specific commitment at this point, as it is clearly a matter that I must consider with my colleagues in Cabinet having regard to the position in respect of public service numbers and payroll costs generally. I note that the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 makes provision for a net increase of just over 2,000 posts across the education sector between the end of...

School Staffing (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes, which I appreciate. We must respond to growth in demographics in the context of overall numbers, but I do not want to pre-empt a decision between the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, the Minister, Deputy Brendan Howlin, and myself. The figures have been set out and we intend to proceed on that basis. At the end of 2011, we will review the...

School Staffing (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am committed to maintaining the line established in respect of protecting and ring-fencing the education budget against the background of growing population numbers. However, all of this must be predicated on the reality that we are in a disastrous economic situation, the country is effectively in receivership and we are not in control of our financial affairs. We do not know what is...

School Staffing (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I do. I am pleased to note that the Teachers Union of Ireland, TUI, has endorsed the recognition of the Croke Park agreement in yesterday's results, which were published today. Where the agreement is operational in the secondary sector, some 70% or so of teachers endorse the recognition of the Croke Park agreement as a de facto agreement on the ground.

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government clearly states that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. To this end, we will endeavour to protect front line services in education. However, the fiscal position is difficult and the country is effectively in receivership. It is...

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I recognise the extraordinary burden that falls on the shoulders of parents who have children with special needs whom they love dearly. I welcome suggestions from school boards of management and parents associations that deal with young people in this category on how best resources can be allocated. The numbers are fixed. The sooner we can get...

Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: There has to be a lead in time to prepare for the start of the academic year in September. That is required for consultation, advice and other processes in order that children with special needs are identified and SNAs are matched to them. The date is 18 March but I am prepared to examine this to see if it can be pushed out. I am not fully aware of the constraints but I will consult with...

Regional Technical Colleges (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Policy for higher education needs to be directed at supporting the development of a higher education system of the highest quality and responsiveness in meeting the needs of the 21st century economy and society. One of the major factors associated with the positive performance of higher education systems internationally is institutional diversity. I agree with the analysis and conclusion of...

Regional Technical Colleges (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I fully understand and sympathise with the sentiments that have been expressed in counties Wexford, Carlow and Waterford regarding the need for a top class third level university. However, that has to be balanced with where we are at the present time. We have seven universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT. There are 10,000 universities in the world. All our universities...

Traveller Education (24 Mar 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government sets out that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. To that end, we are committing during the tenure of this Government to improving the co-ordination and integration of the delivery of services to the Traveller community across all...