Education – Page 11 – Slugger O'Toole

“informed by the reaction of the people they serve”

Pete Baker on September 24, 2009, 1:37 am

| Readers 3

The Belfast Telegraph reports that 7,023 registration forms have been received for the Association for Quality Education version of the privatised post-primary transfer test – with only 4,600 places available at the associated schools. Figures for the GL Assessment test are due next week and are reportedly expected to number around 6000, with roughly 4,200 places available. Meanwhile, Catholic Bishop Donal McKeown is threatening to veto the appointment of future school governors who don’t toe the line. He may find …

“thereby initiating in Northern Ireland a postcode lottery for parents and pupils”

Pete Baker on September 8, 2009, 3:55 pm

| Readers 42

In the Guardian Henry McDonald has a lengthy report on the privatised post-primary transfer system we now have. Of particular interest is the warning, from Frank Bunting, northern secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, of potential legal action. Teachers’ unions have confirmed that the grammars, both state and Catholic, may end up in the courts if they turn down children on the basis of them not having sat the selection tests. “I don’t think there is any doubt that …

State Primaries not taking up the Minister’s kind offer on Irish…

Mick Fealty on September 7, 2009, 11:38 am

| Readers 2

Simon Doyle writing in today’s Irish News notes that not one of the 76 schools using the Primary Languages Programme to fund language teaching of Irish come from that sector comes from the state sector. The initiative is described as intended (presumably amongst other things) ‘to promote the Irish language amongst Protestant children’. Perhaps it is a ‘problem’ that needs a little more than money thrown at it..? Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on …

Dept of Education advice to P7 pupils

Pete Baker on September 3, 2009, 4:24 pm

| Readers 30

The BBC reports that the NI Department of Education has produced a leaflet for P7 pupils and their parents. It advises that pupils can apply to grammar schools without doing an entrance test, but it points out that in such cases, they are unlikely to get in. Adds Departmental guide for parents available here.From the leaflet [pdf file] There is no Transfer Test this year. Some schools, however, are choosing to operate independent Entrance Tests. ?? An Entrance Test is …

Back to school day

Conall on September 1, 2009, 4:17 pm

| Readers 2

It’s back to school day for kids all over NI. Our MLAs don’t return until next week and when they do, they will have to face the sad reality that they have left tens of thousands of children in educational limbo. Selection has been effectively privatised and many fear chaos this winter and the true implications of a deregulated system hits home to parents. Teachers are annoyed and the education minister, Caitriona Ruane, is sticking to her ideological guns, apparently …

Rang 71, The Story of Bunscoil Phobal Feirste

Ciarán Dunbar on September 1, 2009, 2:26 pm

| Readers 196

This Thursday 3 September on BBC Two, 19:00-19:40 will see the screening of Rang 71, an Imagine Media documentary on Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, the first Irish medium school in the North. The school was founded to educate the children of the Pobal Feirste Gaeltacht community and it remains a thriving school to this day and has led the way in terms of Irish medium education. The parents who founded the school did so despite the threat of imprisonment from the …

Education and the new Catholic middle class guilt complex…

Mick Fealty on July 22, 2009, 10:13 pm

| Readers 17

Unusually for the silly season there is some good journalism around, and decent news stories. There’s a fair amount of trouble brewing in the Catholic school system after suggestions by the Bishops that entrance exams should be phased out. According to the Irish News Fr Ignatius McQuillan said the moral authority of the bishops would not stop parents switching to non-Catholic grammars. Then Fionnuala O’Connor gets to the nub of a problem that has thus far refused to speak its …

And so it came to pass..

Pete Baker on July 10, 2009, 11:21 pm

| Readers 5

The amendment on defamation of religion, aka blasphemous libel, passed its Seanad vote yesterday along with the rest of the Irish Government’s satirical Defamation Bill. But only on the second attempt after a walk-through vote was called on a Fine Gael amendment, which would have deleted the offence of blasphemy from the Bill, giving government whips time to herd two wandering Senators into line. Atheist Ireland’s Michael Nugent, in the Irish Times, is launching a “campaign to repeal the blasphemy …

“we are checking protocols to determine if proper procedures were followed”

Pete Baker on July 1, 2009, 3:51 pm

| Readers 3

An odd little story reported by the BBC here – in light of yesterday’s “fragile flower” ruling. Apparently an arranged meeting between East Antrim MLAs Ken Robinson of the UUP, Sean Neeson of the Alliance Party and the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, members of Belfast High School’s board of governors and officials from the Department of Education was cancelled by the Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caitríona Ruane, because Sammy Wilson had originally requested the meeting through the Private Office of the …

The School, The Council and The Minister.

Ciarán Dunbar on June 7, 2009, 3:48 pm

| Readers 51

It seems apparent that Monday will see Bairbre de Brún will be elected as an MEP in Europe. Bairbre is well known as an Irish speaker and indeed activist, she will no doubt avail of the official status of Irish and use the language in the European Parliament. Many Irish speakers in the Six Counties however will ask, what is the point when the struggle is at home?I have been contacted by a source working inside the Gaelscolaíocht movement with …

“We are in a new era in education..”

Pete Baker on May 29, 2009, 2:58 am

| Readers 8

The INTO seem intent on continuing their campaign against academic selection [It’s a human rights violation! – Ed] Yeah, right. Oh, and here are some statistics to play with. Meanwhile, with “deadlock and stasis” evident, the Northern Ireland Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caitriona Ruane, still in that trench, proves willing to ignore ideology in some circumstances by welcoming the signing of a £45.5million capital contract, to provide for four Catholic maintained schools. A contract which also covers building maintenance and …

“This system of government is failing..”

Pete Baker on May 26, 2009, 9:26 pm

| Readers 4

The Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, may have been threatening “deadlock and stasis” to come but, as Mark Devenport pointed out on Stormont Live, on some issues, we’re already there. [That’s the “indigenous” deal – Ed] Indeed. Pete Baker

Catriona on guidelines: take them or leave them, as necessary…

Mick Fealty on May 23, 2009, 7:50 pm

| Readers 6

I’m not going to comment on Catriona Ruane taking her kids out of school for three days. Well, I’ve been there myself, done that, and got the tee shirt. But one thought occured to me when watching Let’s Talk on Thursday was that if it is okay for parents to breach the guidelines on this matter; what about schools who choose to retain selective education in spite of the department’s advice. It’s a point I think has been made by …

“I don’t have the necessary multi-million funds available..”

Pete Baker on May 21, 2009, 1:36 am

| Readers 1

Despite the objections from the Northern Ireland Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caitriona Ruane, and the declaration by Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd on Stormont Live that “We haven’t signed off yet on Minister O’Keefe’s decision”, the Irish Education Minister, Batt O’Keefe, whilst declining “megaphone diplomacy” confirmed today that funding would not be available this year for the next proposed phase of the Middletown Autism Centre. But then, as Shane Harrison pointed out, there is a politically significant difference in how …

“it’s an abuse of their human rights..”

Pete Baker on April 9, 2009, 7:59 pm

| Readers 3

In response to confirmation that all but a handful of grammar schools will be using academic selection tests next year the Northern Ireland Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caitríona Ruane, has claimed that the tests are a breach of human rights.. “No child should be tested at 10 or 11, it’s wrong,” she said. “It shouldn’t be happening and it’s an abuse of their human rights,” [Caitríona Ruane] told BBC Radio Ulster. Well, if defamation of religion can be a breach …

“The schools involved are right across Northern Ireland..”

Pete Baker on April 7, 2009, 11:49 pm

| Readers 18

In the absence of political consensus, and “until the appropriate legislation is in place”, the Catholic Heads Association (CHA) had stated that they would prefer to use “the CCEA test which the minister has commissioned”. But with the Northern Ireland Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Cáitríona Ruane, apparently, still manning the trench, the CHA have announced that they will use tests set and marked by the National Foundation for Education Research. They have already been given the go-ahead by the NI …

Review of Irish medium education.

Ciarán Dunbar on April 7, 2009, 12:56 pm

| Readers 89

I have been contacted recently by a source working within the Irish medium sector voicing their concerns with the recent review of Irish medium education, due to the fact that most parents with children attending IME schools it has been requested that I reproduce these opinions in English as well as Irish.The recent review of Irish-Medium Education has now finished with the DE considering the responses; however it may still be possible that a great opportunity to support a sector …

All Londonderry grammar schools to use academic selection

Pete Baker on April 4, 2009, 4:20 pm

| Readers 2

With the Northern Ireland Education Minister, apparently, still manning the trench, the BBC reports on the latest grammar school to confirm its use of academic selection next year. All Londonderry’s grammar schools are to set entrance tests in 2010, it has been confirmed. The Board of Governors at St Columb’s College said that “in the current circumstances, it would be prudent to use testing” to select pupils. The school said it will conduct tests in Maths and English. The other …

“in relation to the divide in education we have gone backwards.”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2009, 8:09 pm

| Readers 2

As the churches join the wrangling over the education system, Eamon McCann looks back in time and despairs of the current Executive parties. By 1930, the tribal shamans had the children of the land divvied up satisfactorily between them. Since then, some ideas in education have come into fashion, others have gone out of style. But all that’s changed with regard to the religious divide is that fewer people than ever in politics are willing to take it on. Charles …

“It’s just get dug into the trench and refuse to move on anything.”

Pete Baker on March 31, 2009, 12:01 am

| Readers 3

With the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education approving the use of academic selection by Catholic grammar schools, in the absence of a regulated system of post-primary transfer, the NI Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Cáitríona Ruane, was unusually keen to be first into the Stormont Live studio to point out that the Catholic Church still wanted to see an end to academic selection. As she’s, apparently, still ignoring the political reality that conversation is below the fold. Also on the …