Results 1-20 of 1,035,673 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Sorca Clarke OR speaker:Pearse Doherty)
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: This is a valuable opportunity to dig down into this issue. One of the phrases used by Mr. Moynes was "visa factories". That is one of the very serious and genuine concerns people have. We know that a lot of students were left high and dry by some of these providers winding up at very short notice. While it is a great financial loss to Italian or Spanish students who are coming here to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is a month-long course - 120 hours.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: What qualifications do they need to have going into that course?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: So not even a primary degree is required.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Not an honours degree.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: On the specifics of the level 7 qualification, is there any prescription around what area that level 7 would be in? Is there any requirement for it to have a linguistic element? Can someone have a level 7 in whatever it is, take a month-long course and they are then a qualified English-language teacher?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I remember the terror of being asked for the first time the difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb, and I was coming from a language background and had a language degree - I had studied English and had done components of other languages as well. I am not at all sure that somebody who comes from, say, an engineering degree arrives with the required level of linguistic...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is there a structured CPD element? There certainly was not in the past, although I know my experience of this is very much out of date. I assume a lot of this is still summertime work; for example, courses being run out of the local secondary school, where the Italian and Spanish students are dropping in. I did several years of this before I went back to train as a primary school teacher....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: How many of the people who are teaching ESL are working all year round as opposed to people who teach in the summer? How long are people staying within the profession? If we are serious about CPD, then we are talking about people who are making this a long-term career. However, if we are talking about the students from UCD doing three months during the summer, then we may throw our hat at...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: However, there is not an incremental scale as such for the classroom teacher. Most of these are private operators and so would be paid an hourly wage. I understand that those looking for career progression will move into management or something like that. However, it does create concerns. I am aware that I am well over time but I want to come back to Mr. Moynes on the protection issue...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Mr. Moynes does understand that a lot of this is happening in a grey area.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: In platform working, for example, workers are all sharing the licences. They know if somebody calls the ball on that, then all of their mates' licences are gone. It is similar when people who know they are in breach of the visa requirements have an issue in the workplace. They are unlikely to go to the WRC. Despite the stated reason for these people to be here, they do not have the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Sorca Clarke: I thank the witnesses for attending. I will follow up on a statement made by Mr. Moynes. I understand where he is coming from in terms of safeguarding reputations, the high quality of education and the false prospectus that has been put out there. One issue raised both with the committee and also with me is that students are restricted to working between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Sorca Clarke: I have quite a few qualifications, all of which I obtained as an adult learner in evening programmes rather than in full time education. A lecturer would often come forward and ask someone whether they are free to come in for a few hours on a Saturday to take a section of a course that we are not doing great on. At the moment, these learners would be excluded from such opportunities.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Sorca Clarke: Tertiary education has a very important role to play, not only in lifelong learning but for people who want to change careers and directions of where they want to go. Following last week’s engagement, I spoke to one of the contributors. They told me about the scams that people have been caught up in. There is no other way of describing these other than absolute scams. People have...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Sorca Clarke: By entities does Dr. Murray mean schools or agencies because they are not always the same thing?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Sorca Clarke: Transition is the correct term
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (Resumed). (21 May 2024)
Sorca Clarke: Under the new IEM regime, what will be the changes to inspections? What will they look like and what sanctions will QQI have if it is found a school is not compliant?
- Neighbour Disputes (Vegetation) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (16 May 2024)
Question put and agreed to.
- Neighbour Disputes (Vegetation) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (16 May 2024)
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 3.53 p.m. go dtí 2 p.m., Dé Máirt, an 21 Bealtaine 2024. The Dáil adjourned at at 3.53 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 21 May 2024.