June 2009

INTO in the News

Report on pre-fab splurge to cost taxpayer €340,000 (Irish Independent)
29th June 2009
The Department of Education is paying outside consultants over €340,000 to review the millions it is already spending on renting pre-fabs countrywide...

Pre-fabs Need Lasting Solution (Irish Independent)
29th June 2009
Far too many of our schools are pre-fabricated - and now there are fears that too many of our Government's decisions appear to be following suit...

Consultants paid EUR340,000 to 'count' school prefabs - Irish Independent
29th June 2009
The Department of Education is paying outside consultants more than EUR340,000 to review the millions it is already spending on renting prefabs countrywide, the Irish Independent has learned. The department spent EUR112m on renting prefabs over the past two years and will spend a further EUR48m this year...

Cruinniu ag ESG TEO leis na ceardchumainn muinteoireachta – Foinse
28th Meitheamh 2009
I rith na seachtaine seo caite chas toscaireacht o Eagraiocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta Teo le Cumann Muinteoiri Eireann ONTO) agus le Aontas Muinteoiri Eireann (TUI) i mBaile Atha Cliath chun cas na scoileanna Gaeltachta a chur chun cinn leo. Rinneadh pie ar mhorcheisteanna agus dushlain an chbrais oideachais Ghaeltachta, agus, cioradh chomh maith deiseanna don todhchai a mbeadh an eagraiocht agus na ceardchumainn in ann oibriu as lamha a cheile chun dul i ngleic leis na dushlain seo...

Cutbacks force Tallaght school to close special needs class (Irish Times)
27th June 2009
A school in one of the most disadvantaged areas in Dublin will have to close a special needs class as Government cutbacks take effect from September...

Cutbacks force Tallaght school to close special needs class - Irish Times
27th June 2009
A school in one of the most disadvantaged areas in Dublin will have to close a special needs class as Government cutbacks take effect from September. Robbie O'Leary, principal of a disadvantaged primary school in Killinarden, Tallaght, said yesterday he decided to speak out on the issue because of the "crisis situation" facing his school and others in disadvantaged areas...

Behan slams 'flawed decision' by Minister - Bray People
24th June 2009
The Minister for Education, Batt O'Keeffe, never looked for advice from the inspectorate before deciding to close special needs classes, including those in St. Fergal's Junior and Senior National Schools, St. Laurence's in Greystones and Sisters of Charity Ravenswell...

O’Keeffe acted alone to cut special classes (Irish Daily Mail)
23rd June 2009
Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe never sought advice from inspectors before closing down special needs classes in almost 130 schools, it emerged yesterday...

O’Keeffe sought no advice before closing special needs classes (Irish Times)
22nd June 2009
Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe has admitted he never sought or received the advice of his own department's inspectorate before deciding to close special needs classes for more than 500 children. The disclosure – made in a Dail reply to Independent deputy Joe Behan – will increase the pressure on the Minister to rescind his decision to close more than 100 special classes for children with mild general learning needs.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation said the Minister's admission contradicted his assertion that the decision to close the classes next September was on educational grounds…

Cut in Birr schools’ special classes condemned by teachers and FG (Offaly Independent)
20th June 2009
Two primary schools in Birr are to lose their special classes because of cutbacks, it was confirmed this week by the Department of Education...

Local school will be hard hit in special needs cutbacks (Cavan Echo)
19th June 2009
St. Anne’s National School in Bailieborough is set to have its special needs classes cut Only 10 of the classes for children with mild learning difficulties will be retained across the country...

Morning Focus (Clare FM)
19th June 2009
Government cutbacks will hit disadvantaged children hardest and impact on literacy levels, according to INTO – Interview: Declan Kelleher (Former President, INTO).

Department stands by daming criticism of Muslim School (Irish Independent)
19th June 2009
The Department of Education yesterday stood over its damning criticism of the standards in a Dublin primary school…

When an inspector comes to call (Irish Examiner)
Opinion Piece by John Carr, INTO
18th June 2009
An inspection report into one Dublin primary school reveals serious flaws in educational administration right up to department level, writes John Carr...

Department under fire over concerns about standards raised 5 years ago (Irish Examiner)
18th June 2009
The Department Education's monitoring of schools has come under fire after it emerged concerns were raised almost five years ago about a Dublin school which is the subject of a scathing inspection report...

Conditions at school very poor (Mirror)
18th June 2009
Minister Batt O'Keeffe was yesterday slammed for allowing dire conditions to fester at a school. A leaked departmental inspection report described the quality of teaching at the North Dublin Muslim School in Cabra as "very poor" while morale among staff was "very poor". It also found sanitary facilities were "inadequate" and that child protection policies were not properly implemented. The centre caters for about 100 pupils. The Irish National Teachers Organisation said it highlighted poor conditions at the school in 2004.  

Minister says full assurance given by school over failings (Irish Times)
18th June 2009
A Dublin primary school for Muslim children which has been sharply criticised in an official report has given a "full assurance" that shortcomings will be rectified, Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe said yesterday. But the Irish National Teachers' Organisation said the Department of Education had failed to address the serious problems at the North Dublin Muslim School, despite demands for intervention over a five-year period… 

State failed to heed warning on running of Muslim School (Irish Independent)
18th June 2009
The Department of Education was last night accused of ignoring warnings of serious failings in a Muslim primary school. Former inspector Sean O'Diomasaigh and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation alerted the department that all was not well in the north-Dublin Muslim school on a number of previous occasions, the Irish Independent has learned...

Problems at school were ignored (Irish Independent)
18th June 2009
The Department of Education was last night accused of ignoring warnings of serious failings at a Muslim primary school. Former inspector Sean O'Diomasaigh and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation alerted the department that all was not well in the North Dublin Muslim school on previous occasions. Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe insisted steps were being taken to remedy the serious weaknesses identified in the inspection report, details of which were disclosed in the Irish Independent yesterday. 

Ireland AM (TV3)
18th June 2009
Special report into conditions at North Dublin Muslim School, interview Sheila Nunan, INTO, who discusses the findings.

Every child in State entitled to good education (Irish Independent)
17th June 2009
The promise to cherish all the children of the nation equally was one of the founding principles of this State.  It is clear from the report on the North Dublin Muslim School that at least 100 pupils from a minority community are not being treated equally…

Morning Ireland – RTE Radio 1
17th June 2009
The INTO is accusing Department of Education of failing to sort out problems at a Muslim school in Dublin despite knowing about them for years. John Walshe (Education Correspondent, The Irish Independent) gives details of the case. John Carr, INTO, asks why was the situation allowed to fester for so long and what is the Department of Education going to do now?

Shame on you (Mirror)
16th June 2009
Fury as Minister O'Keeffe to axe 118 special needs classes
The Education Minister's decision to save only 10 out of 128 special needs classes was yesterday slammed as "shameful".
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation accused Batt O'Keeffe of treating vulnerable children as "little more than statistics"...

Lunchtime (4FM)
16th June 2009
Interview with Sheila Nunan (INTO) who discusses the government’s decision to reduce the number of special needs classes.

Just 7 schools escape special needs cuts (Irish Examiner)
16th June 2009
Only seven of the 119 primary schools told earlier this year that they are to lose classes for children with special needs have avoided any cuts after appealing the decision…

Plan to end 128 special needs classes (Irish Times)
16th June 2009
Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe is to proceed with the closure of more than 100 special classes for children with mild general learning needs, a decision labelled as “shameful’’ by the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Opposition last night… 

O’Keeffe under fire as just 10 special needs classes spared (Irish Independent)
15th June 2009
Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe is facing a furious backlash from parents and schools after confirming plans for the widespread closure of special classes for children with learning disabilities from September. Only 10 of 128 special primary school classes for 534 children with Down Syndrome, or other mild general learning disabilities, have won a reprieve…

Qualified Teachers’ Call (Irish Examiner)
13th June 2009
A union has called on Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe to implement the section of the Teaching Council Act which would ensure only qualified teachers are employed in schools next autumn. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation said it expects up to 1,200 graduates would be unable to get work in September because of education cutbacks.

Through the ages (Irish Independent – Supplement)
8th June 2009
The decision on whether to send your children to school at the age of four or to wait until they have turned five can have a huge impact on the rest of their time in education...

Jubilee celebrations at Moy (Clare Champion)
5th June 2009
It was a day of nostalgia at Moy National School, Scoil Iosef, last weekend when past pupils and teachers joined together to celebrate the school's golden jubilee. A crowd of over 400 past pupils from throughout the last 50 years came from all parts of Ireland and some from abroad to celebrate the event...

African pupils are more likely to be bullied (Irish Independent)
4th June 2009
African children are more likely to be bullied at school than Eastern Europeans, a new report claims…

Hold up on special needs cuts sparks teacher fury (Irish Independent)
2nd June 2009
A teachers' union has accused Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe of sitting on a decision about which schools will have their special needs classes cut from September...