Written Answers Nos. 71-83
71. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will now re-examine a student grant appeal and issue a 100% non-adjacent rate and 100% maintenance grant and 100% fees and student contribution as previously confirmed, in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12536/14]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed that the student referred to by the Deputy has appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the Independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The appeal will be heard within the timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011 and the student will be notified directly of the outcome.
72. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will expedite a student grant appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12539/14]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed that the student referred to by the Deputy has appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The appeal was considered by the Appeals Board on 4th March 2014 and the decision issued directly to the student on 5th March 2014.
73. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the additional resources he intends to commit to schools, both primary and secondary, over the decade of centenaries 1913-23, to allow schools to increase the awareness of the events of 100 years ago and the commemorative events which will, and are, being held in their localities and nationally. [12542/14]
View answer74. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the publicity to promote the decade of centenaries all-island history competition for primary and post-primary schools; if it is his intention to run this competition each year for the next two years; if he intends to increase the publicity around it, to increase the number of prizes, the prize fund and also to not just have an essay competition but art, poetry, short story and video competitions; if any thought has been given to having a commercial sponsor on board to defray the costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12543/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 74 together.
The all-island schools' history competition is one of the measures adopted by my Department to mark the contribution of the education sector to the 'decade of centenaries' which covers the period 2012-2022. This competition has been organised in conjunction with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. The closing date for submissions is 4 April 2014 and prizes will be awarded in May. The competition was launched at the History Teachers Association annual conference in October 2013. Details were circulated to all schools on the island of Ireland, included on the website of my Department, the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, and on other relevant websites, and advertised in 'History Ireland'. Commercial sponsorship had been put in place for the competition but the sponsor had to withdraw prior to the launch due to economic circumstances. The issue of whether the competition, or a variant of it, will be repeated in the future is under consideration. My Department is also working with the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) to develop history lesson plans for post primary schools. These plans focus on items that have been selected from the 'A history of Ireland in 100 objects' series for their relevance to the 'decade of centenaries' period. The lesson plans are currently being developed by the RIA and will be launched in 2014. The Education Centre Network has also been asked to include courses relating to the decade of centenaries in their annual summer course programme for primary and post primary teachers. Within the higher education sector, my Department has identified a number of potential 'flagship' projects relevant to the period 1912-1922 that it is seeking to progress. The details of these proposals are currently being finalised and will be announced in due course. These flagship projects will complement the activities that the higher education institutions will organise from within their own resources. My Department will seek to develop other initiatives over the remainder of the decade of centenaries.
75. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for the provision of accommodation for a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12551/14]
View answerI am pleased to advise that my Department has recently commenced the process of identifying and acquiring a suitable permanent site for the school to which the Deputy refers. This will involve engagement with Cork County Council in respect of identifying a suitable site. In view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the five-year plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential additional school places to meet demographic demand, my Department is not in a position to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of a major capital project for the school, in question, at this time. However, once a permanent site has been acquired, the Department will then be in a position to consider progressing the project into the architectural planning process.
76. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the policy in place for the use of tablets and PCs in schools; and if schools should be charging pupils over €700 for such items as is the case in Athy, County Kildare. [12560/14]
View answerSince 1998, the national ICT in Schools programme has focused on building capacity across the schools system for integrating ICT into teaching and learning and developing pupils' digital literacy, the ICT in Schools programme must now address new policy challenges and opportunities arising from major developments in curricular reform, digital publishing, digital content dissemination tools generally, cloud services, portable computing and student devices, and the deployment of high speed broadband at post-primary level. These will be addressed in the new Digital Strategy for Schools which is in the process of being developed. In relation to curricular reform the new junior cycle in post-primary schools outlines eight key skills required for successful learning by students across the curriculum and for learning beyond school. Among the key skills, one is literacy and numeracy, which includes digital literacy. The PDST Technology in Education provided in their 2013 summer course programme for teachers a course 'Active learning in literacy and numeracy using tablet devices'. This five day course was run in 28 different venues around the country with approximately 400 training places. In addition, 48 tutors were trained to deliver the course and it is intended that these tutors will be used during the school year and in summer 2014 to offer the same professional development opportunity to other teachers. Also, PDST Technology in Education have produced an advice sheets for schools and good practice videos specifically relating to the use of tablet devices. I am aware of the fact that parents are being asked to fund the introduction of tablet devices into the classrooms. In relation to the introduction of tablet devices in schools this is an operational matter for the Board of Management of each school and my Department has no role at individual school level in approving such initiatives. I believe it is important that where new technology is being adopted by schools parents should be consulted prior to the decision being made and that the costs implications are fully considered by the Boards of Management.
77. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools in rural Ireland that do not have a school transport service due to the low number eligible for such a service on any route where students are in receipt of the remote area grant instead; the names and roll numbers of these schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12614/14]
View answer78. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the net annual savings achieved, taking the remote area grant into account, by increasing the requirement for eligibility for a school transport service from seven pupils to ten pupils, as happened in September 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12615/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 78 together. The change to the eligibility criteria was one of a number of changes derived from recommendations contained in the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme and introduced following a budgetary decision by the previous government. Details of the schools which lost a transport service in consequence of this measure will be forwarded to the Deputy. It is estimated that implementation of this measure resulted in a net saving of some €250,000 having regard to the estimated cost of providing the Remote Area Grant.
79. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on the apprenticeship review; the next steps following the publication of this review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12630/14]
View answerThe independent Apprenticeship Review Group, who were tasked with carrying out the Apprenticeship Review submitted their report to my Department in December 2013. The group made comprehensive recommendations, both on the expansion of apprenticeship into new industrial sectors on the enhancement of the model in existing apprenticeship trades. The review group recommended that its proposals be discussed further with relevant stakeholders to examine how implementation can be progressed as quickly as possible. As an initial step in this process my Department has begun consulting with key stakeholders in order to develop implementation arrangements. In parallel with this process, SOLAS is engaging with some industry sectors who are interested in running pilot programmes that will inform the development of the new model.
80. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals submitted to his Department under section 29 of the Education Act 1998 in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively; the number of same which were decided in favour of the appellant each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12688/14]
View answerIn 2012 there were 355 appeals lodged to my Department and 214 were heard by a section 29 committee. In 2013 there were 403 appeals lodged to my Department and 203 were heard by a section 29 committee. The information requested in respect of 2014 will be available at the year end. My officials have provided a breakdown of the information requested by the Deputy on the following table.Section 29 Appeals 2012 and 2013
|
YEAR |
- |
Lodged |
Resolved before hearing |
upheld |
not upheld |
|
2012 |
Number of Appeals |
355 |
141 |
65 |
149 |
|
2013 |
Number of Appeals |
403 |
200 |
70 |
133 |
81. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the full range of financial supports available to students entering a second undergraduate course immediately upon completion of an undergraduate course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12740/14]
View answer82. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the full range of financial supports available to students entering a postgraduate course immediately upon completion of an undergraduate course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12741/14]
View answer83. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the full range of financial supports available to students or their parents-guardians entering a second undergraduate course immediately upon completion of an undergraduate course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12743/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 81 to 83, inclusive, together.
Under the terms of my Department's student grant and free fees schemes, students who are entering approved full-time undergraduate course in an approved higher education institution are eligible to be considered for grants and free tuition fees. In general, students who previously pursued a course of study are not eligible for assistance in respect of a second period of study at the same level. The main objective of this policy is to assist as many students as possible in obtaining one undergraduate degree. Postgraduate students are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme. Those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible to have their postgraduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270. A postgraduate student may qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the costs of their fees. The income threshold for this payment is €31,500 for the 2013-14 academic year, increasing relative to the number of family dependents. The Free Fees Schemes do not extend to postgraduate study. However, where a student is unemployed they may qualify under the Springboard programme which targets funding of free part-time flexible higher education courses up to master's degree level for unemployed and previously self-employed people in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities. Springboard places are open to unemployed people who have a previous history of employment and there is no requirement that a person be progressing on the National Framework of Qualifications. Further information on Springboard, including a list of courses that are currently open for application, is available on the dedicated information and applications website, www.springboardcourses.ie. Where students do not meet the eligibility criteria of the Free Fees Schemes or do not qualify under the Springboard programme, they must pay the appropriate tuition fee as determined by the third level institution. Such institutions are autonomous bodies and, as such, the level of fees to be charged is a matter for the institutions. In that regard, Section 473A, of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, provides for tax relief, at the standard rate of tax, for tuition fees paid in respect of approved courses at approved colleges of higher education in the State and any other EU Member State.
