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Tuesday, 9 Oct 2012

Written Answers Nos. 102-122

Languages Programme

Questions (102)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

102. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether primary level children should be given the opportunity to learn foreign languages; the steps he has taken to improve the learning and teaching of foreign languages both at primary and post primary level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43082/12]

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Written answers

The Department's language policy, as detailed in the Government's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (2011), is that pupils will learn two languages, English and Irish in primary schools. As part of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is currently developing an integrated language curriculum for primary schools. While the focus of this curriculum will be on English and Irish, the integrated approach should help children to transfer skills acquired in one language to other languages and so establish a sound foundation for the learning of a foreign language in post-primary school. An integrated language curriculum would enable teachers to achieve learning efficiencies by explicitly drawing children's attention to similarities and differences between their languages. I announced details last week of a major reform of the junior cycle. The reform programme includes a clear emphasis on the importance of foreign language acquisition. One of the 24 statements of learning that form part of the Framework for Junior Cycle is that the student reaches a level of proficiency in L2 (Irish for most students) and one other language in reading, writing, speaking and listening. As part of the revised junior cycle, students will continue to be offered opportunities to study French, German, Spanish and Italian, as well as English and Irish. In addition, a new initiative introduced as part of the Framework is the option of school developed short courses within specific criteria. These short courses will enable schools to provide additional languages, if they so choose. The NCCA is developing a short course in Chinese that will be made available to schools from 2014. There are many opportunities within the Transition Year for different language experiences. For example, a Transition Year module in Chinese was launched earlier this year.

At senior cycle, the languages available include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic, as well as English and Irish. The Post-primary languages Initiative supports the diversification of languages in schools. At senior cycle, revised syllabuses for French, Spanish, German and Italian are expected to be finalised during the 2012/2013 school year, following a process of consultation with relevant parties. The State Examinations Commission also provides examinations in a range of other EU languages which are non-curricular in nature. They are generally available for EU students whose mother tongue is not English. For the 2012 Leaving Certificate Examination there were 1,495 entries for 16 such European languages.

Education and Training Provision

Questions (103)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

103. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update in the pilot programme Future Creators based in the Digital Hub, Dublin, to enhance computer science skills for second level students particularly in the area of coding and application development; his plans to roll out an extended version of this programme to schools nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42645/12]

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Written answers

The Digital Hub Agency (funded by the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources) and the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) jointly devised 'Future Creators'. It is an education programme which aims to provide young teenagers with an educational experience through digital media, incorporating diverse elements including 'app' development, coding processes, animation and film-making. Future Creators draws on the creativity and innovation cultures of NCAD and Digital Hub. The programme was implemented for the first time in the school year 2011-12 with 24 young people aged between 13 and 16 years in Dublin south inner city. A second cohort is being established for the current school year. The course runs in an after-school setting, two afternoons per week. Through the current year, an emphasis will be placed on dissemination of the model. In particular, it is planned to explore the possibility of developing short courses which can be included within the revised Junior Cycle. This work will complement the work being carried out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment which is currently developing short courses in digital media literacy and programming/coding in advance of the national roll out of Junior Cycle reform from 2014.

Question No. 104 answered with Question No. 100.
Question No. 105 answered with Question No. 96.

Schools Refurbishment

Questions (106)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

106. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to require all schools in receipt of capitation funding to implement targeted energy efficiency programmes to cut wasteful usage of lighting, heating and electronic equipment; his views on the opinion that existing voluntary projects show the potential to save 15 – 40% of schools’ energy costs within two years, using models and guidance provided by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland but unknown to most schools; his views on whether such energy efficiencies could save up to €15 million annually on the €200 million cost of capitation funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43098/12]

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Written answers

For the past fifteen years the Planning and Building Unit of my Department have been using a process called the DART approach to develop sustainability and energy efficiency in educational buildings. This acronym focuses on four key areas, namely, Design, Awareness, Research and Technology. The policy is informed by the Building Unit Professional and Technical staff, driven by its technical guidance documents and updated by continued energy research and development. It has been demonstrated that all School's designed and built in line with the above policy and the technical guidance documents can have an energy performance that is more than twice as efficient as international best practice. Under my Department's Summer Works Scheme in excess of €182m has been spent since 2009 on improvements to mechanical and electrical installations, toilets, windows and roofs in both primary and post-primary schools across the country which is contributing to the energy efficiency of these buildings. In addition €15m has been spent under my Department's 2009 Energy Efficiency Scheme and further €7.4m under the 2010 Water Conversation Scheme. In total in excess of €204m has been provided to schools to assist with energy efficiency and conversion since 2009 which represents 16% of the total overall capital spend on school building since 2009. My Department in conjunction with Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has developed a website "Energy in Education" (www.energyineducation.ie) which is designed to help school boards of management, principals, teachers, administrators, caretaking staff, pupils and parents to improve energy use practices and to reduce school operating costs along with helping to protect the environment for future generations.

Question No. 107 answered with Question No. 92.

School Curriculum

Questions (108)

David Stanton

Question:

108. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of second level schools here; the number offering transition year; the number of students currently in transition year; if a review is planned of transition year or if one has taken place; if so, the findings of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43016/12]

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Written answers

The data requested by the Deputy are as follows for 2011/12 school year, the last year for which complete figures are available: there were 723 recognised post-primary schools of which 582 offered the transition year programme on which 32,673 students were enrolled. This information has been extracted from the returns made by schools to my Department as at 30th September each year. An evaluation of the programme - The Transition Year Programme: An Assessment by Emer Smyth, Delma Byrne and Carmel Hannan - was published by the ESRI in 2005. This study provided a comprehensive examination of all aspects of the operation of transition year and of its effect on student outcomes in a range of school contexts. It confirmed that the programme has huge potential to develop students' broader life skills and confidence and that it can contribute significantly to building positive student-teacher relationships. The report pointed to better academic outcomes and increased rates of progression to higher education among many transition year students in all school types even after controlling for parental background and prior performance in the Junior Certificate.

Question No. 109 answered with Question No. 99.

Teacher Recruitment

Questions (110)

Brendan Smith

Question:

110. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is satisfied that only qualified registered teachers are employed in approved teaching posts in schools since September 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43077/12]

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Written answers

It has been the policy of my Department for some time that only qualified and registered teachers should be employed by schools. This is set out most recently in Circular Letter 31/2011. Current recruitment procedures direct schools to ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to publicly paid posts must be registered with the Teaching Council and have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are proposed. Only where an employer can satisfactorily demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher, may an unqualified or unregistered person be recruited pending the recruitment of an appropriately qualified and registered teacher. This provision must be inserted in the employment contract. The employer must repeat the process to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher within the period of any such contract and in any event within the school year. An unregistered person employed pending recruitment of an appropriately qualified and registered teacher at any point after September 2010 should have no expectation of continued employment beyond the period of time that it takes the school to source a registered teacher. The Education (Amendment) Act 2012 was enacted on 23 May 2012. This Act provides for a number of education-related matters, including provision to enable the implementation of section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001. Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, once commenced, will prohibit the payment of persons employed as a teacher in a recognised school from Oireachtas funds where they are not registered with the Teaching Council save for very limited, exceptional circumstances which will be set out in Ministerial Regulations. It is my intention to commence section 30 during the 2012/2013 school year. Once commenced it will be an absolute legal requirement and current provisions under Section 3.3 of Circular 31/2011 will no longer apply. This will mean that an appropriately qualified person whose registration with the Teaching Council is pending at the time of appointment cannot be paid from Oireachtas funds until he or she is registered. In addition, there cannot be any retrospective payment in respect of a period for which a person was not registered. This provision will reinforce the Department's longstanding position that education in recognised schools funded by the State must be delivered by appropriately regulated professionals.

Question No. 111 answered with Question No. 76.
Question No. 112 answered with Question No. 71.

State Examinations Reviews

Questions (113)

John McGuinness

Question:

113. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to date in carrying out reform of the junior certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43081/12]

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Written answers

I published A Framework for Junior Cycle on 4 October 2012. This document contains details of my plans to reform the junior cycle in post-primary schools. A Framework for Junior Cycle builds upon proposals developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and published in November 2011 under the title, Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle - Innovation and Identity. The Framework adopts many of the curricular changes proposed by the NCCA but it also contains more radical changes, particularly in relation to how students' progress and learning are assessed at junior cycle. A clear timetable for implementation on a phased basis up to 2020 is set out in the document. Implementation will begin in schools with English in 2014. A number of short courses will also be available. An extensive programme of continuing professional development will be made available to support teachers. This will begin in 2013. I have arranged that a copy of my Framework document will be given to all members of the Oireachtas so that you are fully aware of its details.

School Curriculum

Questions (114)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

114. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to date in rolling out the Aistear Curriculum at primary level; if it is being consistently applied across all primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43084/12]

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Written answers

Aistear is Ireland's curriculum framework for children from birth to six years. It reflects recent developments in understanding how children learn and develop in early childhood. These developments include the importance of ensuring a balance between adult-led and child-led activities, as well as the importance of play in children's learning and development from birth to six years. Aistear can help teachers to prioritise play and active learning in implementing the curriculum for infant classes in primary schools. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is currently revising the infant curriculum. This work focuses initially on the language area (English and Irish) and will be ready for schools in September 2014. The revised infant curriculum will reflect the core principles and teaching approaches contained in the Aistear Framework.

Work is already underway through a collaboration between the NCCA and the Association of Teachers' Education Centres in Ireland (ATECI) to support consistency amongst teachers in developing their use of play as a teaching and learning methodology. The NCCA is also working with a number of schools to gather examples of teaching and learning in infant classrooms. Some of these examples will become part of the revised infant curriculum.

Schools Recognition

Questions (115)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

115. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm that a school (details supplied) in Dublin is continuing the practice of asking parents to pay an annual voluntary contribution in excess of €3,000 despite the school securing permanent recognition from his Department in 2005; if he will provide details of other schools in a similar position that are asking parents to make an annual voluntary contribution in excess of €200. [43100/12]

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Written answers

The school in question does not have permanent recognition from my Department. It has provisional recognition from my Department. My Department does not collect information from the school system in relation to the level of voluntary contributions sought by individual schools. My Department's policy is that voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that a child's place in the school or continued enrolment is not dependant on a willingness to make a contribution. The manner in which contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management; however their collection should be such as not to create a situation where either parents or pupils could reasonably infer that the contributions take on a compulsory character.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (116)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

116. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reconsider his decision to cut a further €77 million from the education budget; and if he has considered alternatives measures to this further reduction to his Department's annual budget. [43114/12]

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Written answers

The Deputy will be aware of the very challenging economic environment that forms the backdrop to all decisions relating to the public finances. While the Government has undertaken to protect education spending as much as possible, we are not operating in a vacuum. Despite the fact that there have already been significant reductions in public expenditure, further expenditure consolidation is necessary if we are to regain our economic independence. I would like to be in a position of not having to make any further savings on the Education and Skills Vote and for those savings to be secured elsewhere. However, I must also accept that all Government Departments must play their part in reducing expenditure. Identifying and securing savings on my Department's Vote in 2013 will be extremely challenging. However, measures such as this are necessary if we are to secure the viability of our country and enable us to fund public services into the future in a sustainable manner.

Education and Training Boards Issues

Questions (117)

Sandra McLellan

Question:

117. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which he expects the new Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority to commence accepting applications for accreditation of new providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43107/12]

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Written answers

I will be establishing the new Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI) in the coming weeks and from that point providers which currently have their awards made by the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) or the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) will have their awards made by the new body. While the existing bodies have made good progress in making administrative preparations for the amalgamation, the new Authority will have to determine its own policies, criteria and procedures before it can provide a full range of services to providers. I expect the Authority to be in a position to provide such services, including the processing of applications for accreditation from new providers, in the Spring of next year.

Question No. 118 answered with Question No. 89.
Question No. 119 answered with Question No. 87.

Teaching Qualifications

Questions (120)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

120. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the plans he has to facilitate teachers without degrees who have been working for the vocational education committee for many years in view of new Teaching Council regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43085/12]

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Written answers

Individuals without recognised qualifications, who were employed in a teaching position or eligible to be employed in a teaching position in a recognised school at the time of the establishment of the Teaching Council in 2006, were deemed registered with the Teaching Council in its first year. Teachers were advised at the time to seek registration with the Council and to ensure that their registration was maintained. If such persons availed of this entitlement at that time, and subsequently maintained their registration, there is no change to their position. However, I do intend to commence Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 in the current school year. This will ensure that only registered teachers are employed in teaching positions in our schools. I also plan to make separate provision for urgent situations where no registered teacher is available. Notice of the imminent commencement of Section 30, and the Teaching Council's registration requirements, has been in the public domain for some time. Sufficient time has been available for individuals to gain any necessary qualifications. It may also be of relevance to the Deputy's question to point out that Section 30 applies only to persons employed as teachers in recognised schools. It does not apply to persons employed as teachers in other centres for education (e.g. Youthreach, VTOS, Adult Education) or persons employed in recognised schools in a capacity other than a teacher. The Teaching Council Registration Regulations, which are in place since 2009, set out the Council's requirements for registration on the basis of qualifications relevant to the various school sectors. One of the most significant improving measures in these Regulations is the requirement, from April 2013, for all new registrants, including for the VEC and Further Education Sectors, to have a suitable teaching qualification. This brings these sectors in line with longstanding requirements for the primary sector and other post-primary schools. No changes have been made to these Regulations recently. It is my view that all teachers should be appropriately qualified. There has been a requirement for VECs to recruit registered teachers dating back to at least 2006. My advice to individuals who are in doubt is to take this matter up with their employer in the first instance.

Student Grant Scheme Reform

Questions (121)

Denis Naughten

Question:

121. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline his intentions on the review of means assessments for higher education grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42644/12]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy will be aware that, following agreement in principle by the Government to broaden the current means testing arrangements for student grants by way of inclusion of the value of capital assets, I set up a dedicated implementation group to bring forward detailed proposals for implementation in 2013. I have received a draft report from the implementation group. This is currently under consideration and I will consult further with my cabinet colleagues in due course.

Census of Population Statistics

Questions (122)

Peter Mathews

Question:

122. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Taoiseach further to Parliamentary Question No. 96 of 20 September 2011, if he will provide this information from the 2011 census; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42633/12]

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Written answers

The following table provides details from the 2011 Census of the proportion of adults aged over 60 years in the Electoral Divisions requested by the Deputy.

Electoral Division

Total aged 60 years and over

Total Population in ED

Number aged 60 years and over as a percentage of total population in ED

Ballinteer-Broadford

567

2657

21.3

Ballinteer-Ludford

695

2032

34.2

Ballinteer-Marley

485

2338

20.7

Ballinteer-Meadowbroads

505

1530

33.0

Ballinteer-Meadowmount

440

1802

24.4

Ballinteer-Woodpark

944

5292

17.8

Cabinteely-Loughlinstown

240

3806

6.3

Churchtown-Castle

319

1287

24.8

Churchtown-Landscape

285

1308

21.8

Churchtown-Nutgrove

708

3079

23.0

Churchtown-Orwell

497

1794

27.7

Churchtown-Woodlawn

302

1384

21.8

Clonskeagh-Belfield

237

2740

8.6

Clonskeagh-Farranboley

338

1501

22.5

Clonskeagh-Milltown

295

1975

14.9

Clonskeagh-Roebuck

457

2556

17.9

Clonskeagh-Windy Arbour

462

2521

18.3

Dundrum-Balally

1126

7049

16.0

Dundrum-Kilmacud

473

3196

14.8

Dundrum-Sandyford

977

6952

14.1

Dundrum-Sweetmount

510

2089

24.4

Dundrum-Taney

508

2449

20.7

Foxrock-Carrickmines

1130

6088

18.6

Foxrock-Torquay

301

1439

20.9

Glencullen

1337

17381

7.7

Electoral Division

Total aged 60 years and over

Total Population in ED

Number aged 60 years and over as a percentage of total population in ED

Stillorgan-Deerpark

743

2793

26.6

Stillorgan-Kilmacud

925

3828

24.2

Stillorgan-Leopardstown

555

2429

22.8

Stillorgan-Merville

534

2744

19.5

Stillorgan-Mount Merrion

539

2407

22.4

Tibradden

204

786

26.0

Ballyboden

790

5085

15.5

Edmondstown

711

5712

12.4

Firhouse-Ballycullen

435

7773

5.6

Firhouse-Knocklyon

853

3602

23.7

Rathfarnham-Ballyroan

799

2493

32.0

Rathfarnham-Butterfield

912

3206

28.4

Rathfarnham-Hermitage

670

4604

14.6

Rathfarnham-St. Enda's

823

3843

21.4

Rathfarnham Village

675

2993

22.6

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