Results 19,381-19,400 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Mar 2005)

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 at senior cycle and progress to third level options in this critical area as a vitally important part of the national strategy to support competitiveness and employment. This work continues to be...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The primary sector has experienced a shortage of trained teachers in recent years, mainly as a result of the large number of posts created to reduce class sizes, cater for pupils in disadvantaged areas and provide for those with special educational needs. The difficulties being experienced were aggravated by the number of teachers availing of career breaks and job sharing schemes. It is...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the recent media report mentioned by the Deputy that indicated an over-supply of science teachers. I am sure the Deputy is aware that the teacher supply and demand issue at second level is very complex. Analyses undertaken by my Department in the past indicated that there are regional and subject variations. A further complicating factor is that vacancies in second level schools...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am very conscious that schools across the country have to deal with a heavy administrative burden arising from necessary departmental and legislative requirements. I have indicated recently to a number of parties my intention to conduct a review of this administrative burden as soon as possible. I am happy to report that my Department will shortly write to the relevant stakeholders inviting...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I assume the Deputy refers to the number of places approved annually for post leaving certificate courses. In the 2004-05 academic year, approximately 28,500 places were approved. The approval process for PLC places for the academic year 2005-06 will take account of enrolment trends, applications from VECs, schools and colleges for course approval and the totality of demands for courses and...

Written Answers — Medical Education: Medical Education (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Higher Education Authority introduced a quota of Irish and non-Irish entrants to first year medical programmes, with effect from the 1980-81 academic year. The agreed figures were 305 Irish and 28 non-Irish. Following a Government decision in 1987, it was agreed that the intake of foreign students — non-nationals of EU member states — in the university medical schools should be...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The number of children availing of school transport services in a school year varies from time to time. Accordingly, the figures below are averages of pupils availing of the service within the years mentioned. Between 8,000 and 9,000 children with special needs currently avail of the transport service and these are included in the overall figures. In 1999, the figure was 145,000 and in 2004...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The general process of assessing and planning for the need for additional provision at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing and other developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to whom...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Applications for capital funding for schools are assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which was revised following consultation with the education partners. I recently announced the first phases of the 2005 school building and modernisation programme which provided details of 122 major school building projects countrywide which will prepare tenders and move to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The recommendations of the task force on autism provide an invaluable basis for the development of educational services and supports for persons with autism. However, in responding to the recommendations, my Department has had to give priority to a number of key areas before detailed individual recommendations can be addressed. The key areas involve the implementation of the core legislative...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is considering the results of recent revisions to projections of future enrolment in the light of demographic and social changes as well as the publication, by the CSO, of new population projections in December 2004. As the Deputy will appreciate, uncertainties arise in regard to future migration trends, participation at various levels of education and long-term trends in...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since its formal launch in December 2003, the aim of the National Educational Welfare Board has been to provide a service to the most disadvantaged areas and most at risk groups. A total of five regional teams have been established with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Staff have been deployed in areas of greatest disadvantage and in areas designated under the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: An extension project at the school has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, and the project is being considered in the context of the school buildings and modernisation programme. The upgrade of the science laboratories will be addressed as part of the overall project for which schedules of accommodation have been agreed with the school. The Deputy will be...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The most recently published analysis by my Department of retention rates at second level which was released in August 2003, indicates that for the 1994 cohort of students, the adjusted senior cycle retention rate is 81.8%. My Department's approach to addressing the issue of retention in schools comprises legislative and curricular reforms as well as interventions to prevent early school...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is actively engaged in a number of activities relating to the teaching and learning of Irish. These include a focused evaluation of Irish, along with English or mathematics, in 45 primary schools and an evaluation of the teaching and learning of Irish in the junior cycle in 75, or 10%, of post-primary schools. Both of these programmes of inspections will be completed in 2005 and...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The educational psychologists in the National Educational Psychological Service do not keep waiting lists of children requiring assessment in the sense of lists of names that are dealt with in chronological order. School authorities refer children for assessment and discuss the relative urgency of each case during the psychologists' visits. An overall account of current waiting lists, as...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Government took a decision in 1998 that has transformed the level of provision for pupils with special educational needs, including those with mild and borderline mild general learning disabilities. Pupils with such needs would be entitled to an automatic response to meet those needs and the allocation of resources to meet those needs no longer depended, as it had in the past, on the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has received an application for an additional resource teacher post for Traveller pupils from the school in question. A decision on the application will be conveyed to the school as soon as the application has been considered. I understand that the school currently has the services of a resource teacher for Traveller pupils.

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A review of educational disadvantage programmes is currently being finalised by my Department and any decision to expand or extend any of the initiatives aimed at addressing educational disadvantage is being considered in this context. Arising from the review process, a draft report has been prepared and it is my intention to complete this work as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am acutely aware of the issue of bullying in schools and my Department has in place a multi-faceted strategy to tackle the issue. The education of students in both primary and post-primary schools on anti-bullying behaviour is a central part of the social, personal and health education, SPHE, curriculum. SPHE is now a compulsory subject at primary level and in the junior cycle of...