Written Answers
113. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement an analysis or assessment on the impact in schools arising from changes to the ex-quota allocation which has reduced the provision of career guidance counsellors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51338/12]
View answer119. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered the findings of a recent survey of principals from the Joint Managerial Body on the impact of the loss of guidance hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51304/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 119 together.
The day to day management of how teaching resources are used in schools is done at local school level. It is established policy that guidance is a whole school activity and under existing arrangements each school develops a school guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of its students. I am confident schools will act in the best interest of students.
I acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools is challenging for schools and this is borne out by the survey undertaken by the JMB. However, the budget measure that requires schools to manage the provision of guidance from within their standard staffing allocation, the alternative to which was to make an adjustment to the standard staffing schedule, must be seen in the context of our very difficult budgetary constraints. It is also worth pointing out that, as part of last years budgetary measures, my Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations.
114. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will commit to protecting DEIS in the coming years following the recent report from his Department on improved retention rates at post primary level including improved retention rates in DEIS schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51300/12]
View answerThe "Report on Retention Rates of Pupils in Second Level Schools" indicates that the number of students staying in school to complete their second level education is now at its highest rate ever. The percentage of students who sit the Leaving Cert overall has risen by almost 9% to 90.2% in 11 years.
It is particularly encouraging to see the retention rate in DEIS schools increase substantially, from 68.2% to 80.1%. The retention rates of pupils who entered the first year of the junior cycle in 2005 and 2006, which coincides with the introduction of DEIS, representing the first cohort of students to have DEIS resources available to them throughout their second level education.
I do not propose to comment in detail on the contents of the Budget in respect of the education sector in advance of Budget Day. However, it is my intention to protect front-line provision, including that in DEIS schools, to the greatest extent possible.
115. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has submitted any further funding proposals to the European Investment Bank in view of the recent €50 million public private school building programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51211/12]
View answerI understand that dialogue has commenced between officials of the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) and the European Investment Bank in relation to the potential funding of further educational PPP projects as part of the Government approved Economic Stimulus Package. The Economic Stimulus Package announced last July includes two further bundles of school projects that would be advanced in the context of my Department's five year school building programme, as well as a major project for the consolidation of Dublin Institute of Technology at Grangegorman. However, no decisions about funding have been made at this time.
It is envisaged that if EIB funding is secured for these projects, it would be structured on the same basis as the recent third schools bundle with the EIB lending directly to the PPP project company.
I would also add that, earlier this year, the EIB provided a direct loan of €100 million to the Exchequer to enable the Department to finance a programme of traditional school building works as part of the overall five year school building programme.
116. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on comments expressed by the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland regarding the loss of national State certification at junior cycle level will damage education and that the decision to axe State certification at junior cycle level will have a negative impact on students. [51350/12]
View answerMy new Framework for Junior Cycle will allow schools to provide a programme to meet the needs of their students. Assessment will be a key component to supporting quality teaching and learning outcomes across the 3 years of Junior Cycle and will provide on-going high quality feedback to students and their parents.
Assessment in the Junior Cycle is no longer high-stakes since in reality the vast majority of students continue to senior cycle.
The current Junior Certificate examination is also at variance with best practice internationally. For example, in New Zealand, Finland, Scotland and Queensland high-stakes, public examinations are confined to the end of the senior cycle. They emphasise school-based assessment approaches throughout the lower-secondary cycle.
117. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is satisfied with the progress made towards meeting the educational skills requirement of industry in the future with particular reference to the high-skill requirements of the modern industrial sector; if any particular skill shortages have been specifically identified; the extent to which the educational sector is in a position to meet such requirements in the short and medium term; if he has had discussions with second and third level institutions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51329/12]
View answer268. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he and his Department have monitored the various skill requirements of industry now and in the future; if he is satisfied that such requirements will be met in full in the short, medium and long term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51581/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 268 together.
The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, funded by my Department, plays a key role in advising on future skills needs. Its research provides a valuable input to the development of course curricula and has also informed the development of new competitive funding models of provision to address emerging skills needs.
More than 10,000 higher education places are being provided in areas of identified skills need under the Springboard programme and 6,500 places are being rolled out under the new Labour Market Education and Training Fund. In addition, the joint Government-Industry ICT Action Plan, which has been developed as a direct response to identified ICT skills shortages, contains a comprehensive range of measures to build the domestic supply of ICT graduates, including through the roll out of over 800 places on graduate skills conversion courses from March 2012. A roll-out of a second phase of the conversion courses is scheduled for early 2013.
118. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of recent revelations regarding the numbers of students waiting for grants to be processed, the measures he will put in place to ensure that students are not forced out of third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51331/12]
View answerIn order to ensure that all targets are met by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) a number of measures have been put in place to speed up the process of awarding student grants. This includes the provision of additional staffing in both the assessment unit and the outsourced document management unit. Weekly maintenance payment runs are in place and a range of processing efficiencies are being implemented on an on-going basis.
SUSI is aiming to achieve a target of 33,000 awards in total by the end of the year. SUSI is staffed to the level that has been requested and all the necessary resources should be in place to enable them to process applications to completion, subject to all the necessary documentation being in order to enable them to make a decision in each case. This week, a further 50 additional temporary staff have been approved to ensure that all targets are met from this point forward.
