Results 1,701-1,720 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department is conscious of the issues in the English language education sector arising from the Covid-19 outbreak. While I have not had direct engagement with my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, officials from our respective Departments are in regular contact on these matters. My Department has established a Covid-19 Working Group for this sector which is comprised of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department is aware of concerns that the closure of schools has impacted hardest upon families who have children with complex needs whose wellbeing and engagement with learning depend very much on the routine of school and their relationships with other students, teachers and Special Needs Assistants. They have also lost out on specialist supports during this closure period. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I am committed to running a summer Provision type programme for children with complex needs this year as soon as it is safe to do so and in accordance with public health advice. My Department is exploring a number of options for a summer education programme for children with complex special needs. The primary aim of the proposed programme would be to limit potential regression in learning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: The Minister announced on 1stApril a contingency plan for all Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to be available for a new temporary assignment scheme as part of the Government’s response to Covid-19. In the normal course of events, the majority of children with disabilities access multidisciplinary therapy services through the HSE. Many of these services have been scaled down during the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 288 together. On the 1 May 2020, the Taoiseach announced as part of the "Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business" that schools will commence opening on a phased basis at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year. My Department is engaging and working with the education partners and relevant stakeholders on planning arrangements for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 294 together. As part of the calculated grades process where a student is not satisfied with their calculated grade it can be appealed to my Department. The appeal system is set out in the information available on my Department’s website. The appeals mechanism will ensure that each step in the process leading to the generation of a calculated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cycle to Work Scheme (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: It was necessary for operational reasons to temporarily suspend the cycle to work scheme arising from the COVID 19 lockdown. The priority of my Department during the lockdown period has been to ensure that the 125,000 payees on the payrolls continued to be paid on a fortnightly basis. I am glad to advise the Deputy that my Department will accept new applications for the Cycle to Work scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: Following the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, significant work has been undertaken by a stakeholder group chaired by the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and including the representative bodies of education providers in the further and higher education sectors to address issues relating to the maintenance of the quality and standards of qualifications. This group has focused on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: On the 1 May 2020, the Taoiseach announced as part of the "Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business" that schools will commence opening on a phased basis at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year. My Department is engaging and working with the education partners and relevant stakeholders on planning arrangements for the re-opening of schools in accordance with the timeframe outlined...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: On the 1 May 2020, the Taoiseach announced as part of the "Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business" that schools will commence opening on a phased basis at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year. My Department is engaging and working with the education partners and relevant stakeholders on planning arrangements for the re-opening of schools in accordance with the timeframe...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (27 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: SUSI’s online application process for student grant applications for the 2020/21 academic year opened on 23rd April, 2020. Students are advised to submit their renewal student grant application as soon as possible. The priority closing dates for the 2020/21 academic year are the 11th June 2020 for renewal applicants and the 9th July 2020 for new applicants. Further information in...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I wish to say to Caoimhe and Rachel, through the Deputy, that fifth years are not being ignored. It is the subject of focus within the Department because many fifth years have lost out on curriculum time. No fifth year student had completed the curriculum for any subject in year one of what is a two-year programme. We are very conscious of that. I agree with the Deputy that it has been a...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for raising this topic. He should not be hard on himself about it being 30 years since he did his leaving certificate. I am much older than he is; my leaving certificate was 31 years ago. This is an important issue. I know the school completion programme is something many young people would have availed of during the summer. When I say, therefore, that we are going...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank all the Deputies who have raised the situation of fifth years. We have had individual contact from some of those students. We need to ensure we give whatever support we can to the class of 2021 because of their lost class time and their return in September with all the challenges ahead of us. We will prioritise them and put support systems in place to ensure that whatever time or...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I had a briefing on this issue prepared for me by the National Educational Psychological Service, so it is something we are going to be prepared for when schools go back in September and we will look at whatever resources are required. A lot of the suggestions made here tonight, be they in relation to pupil teacher ratios, extra support for guidance counsellors or similar, are budgetary...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: The meat on the bones will very much be determined by public health advice. We are going to come up with a summer programme and present it to health officials in terms of how it will look. One of the determining features of this process is to have the voices around the table. It was important to have Down's syndrome and autism represented today, as well as the National Association of...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I am glad the Deputy raised that school again. I raised it last week as well. I have great memories of my visits there. It was involved in the P-TECH project. It was during an aside conversation with one of the teachers that I was told about that progression. The teacher spoke about the progression not just to university but to further education and training and apprenticeships. They...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: That is the piece of work in which we are currently engaged. The post-primary stakeholders have been asked to make submissions. The majority of them have already done so. Those submissions raise queries in regard to what schools will look like in September under current health guidelines. The current NPHET distance requirement of 2 m. does not allow for 30 students per classroom. We are...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy and take his points regarding his concerns about the new model of calculated grades. The Deputy raised the specific issue of school teacher allocation. We got the relevant information in the office today and I have asked for an inspector to make contact with the school. As the Deputy correctly pointed out, though, it is an independent process. One of the rigid...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (20 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I will correspond with him concerning teaching courses.