Education Study to identify hurdles to rollout of after-school servicesThe Department of Education may provide grants to schools to encourage them to open such services, which are much needed by working parents
Education Foley expands exemption list for studying Irish languageStudents with a ‘high level of multiple and persistent needs’ may be allowed to skip Irish as a compulsory subject
Education Free books pilot scheme to be extended to many impoverished schoolsThe €1m scheme was introduced in 2020 during the pandemic, and was positively received by schools
Michael Brennan: Zelenskyy to address Leinster House as state grapples with refugee numbersThe Ukrainian president will speak via videolink on Wednesday, while the government takes on the task of finding accommodation for thousands of refugees
Department of Education accused of wasting €432k on Leaving Cert caseThe department attempted in vain to prevent two home-schooled students from receiving calculated grades for the exams
Call for school inspectors to go back into classroomsAs staff shortages bite due to Covid-19 and self-isolation, there are calls for Norma Foley, the Minister for Education, to send inspectors in as substitute teachers
Analysis: Schools will re-open, the next challenge is to keep them openGovernment faced pushback from unions but opposition parties agreed that term should start tomorrow as planned
Martin to return control of truancy to Dept of EducationThe Taoiseach has returned the school attendance service to the Department of Education, something he promised to do on his first day in office
Leaving Cert algorithm expert providing ‘feedback’ on new systemDr Fernando Cartwright, creator of last year’s Leaving Cert algorithm which resulted in thousands of students graded erroneously, has given advice to the Department of Education for this year
Michael Brennan: Norma Foley appears to be virtue-signalling on vaccination priorityThe Minister for Education seems to be telling teachers that she sympathises with their plight, even though she signed off on the decision for vaccination priority to be based largely on age
Analysis: Foley’s description of the hybrid Leaving Cert as ‘fair’ is very much open to questionThis year’s exam offers an opportunity for some canny students, puts pressure on teachers and could intensify the points race — but are there any viable alternatives?
Varadkar promises parents ‘clear message’ on schools in coming daysTánaiste says Nphet advocated a ‘very gradual approach’ to children returning to the classroom
ASTI re-enters last minute talks on Leaving CertTeachers’ union said it was reassured by a commitment that the exam would take place as normal this year
‘This was a ministerial decree. That’s not the way to bring people with you’This is the inside story of how the government did a U-turn on its proposed three-day week for Leaving Cert students after the teachers’ unions and students awarded Norma Foley a ‘fail’
