“Deputy John O’Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the requirement for a foreign language at leaving certificate level for a degree course at National University Ireland colleges; and if there are plans to change this criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann, 21 February]
“Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will support the combined efforts of the Institute of Technology Tralee, Cork Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology in obtaining university status; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann, 21 February]
“Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will give a commitment that no decision will be made on the future of third level institutes by him or the Higher Education Authority prior all submissions being received, acknowledged and consulted with …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann, 21 February]
“Hundreds of primary schools face new difficulties in paying for basic utilities such as heating and lighting after a fresh cut in school maintenance supports. The cut in capitation support is designed to offset a Government U-turn on funding for disadvantaged schools …” (more)
[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 22 February]
“Education Minister Ruairi Quinn still faces political pressure over a number of budget cuts despite a significant rowback on the planned withdrawal of teachers from 132 disadvantaged primary schools …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 22 February]
“The ICT sector should link up with Irish secondary schools that have no access to IT innovation by offering work placements, according to Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn …” (more)
[Irish Times, 20 February]
“And now, a message from the Minister for Education for boys and girls everywhere. Ruairí Quinn received a letter recently from 11-year-old James Culhane, asking him to ban homework …” (more)
[Irish Times, 18 February]
“Deputy Paschal Donohoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if grants or funding will be available for students going to take masters degrees and PhD, 4th level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 16 February]
“Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the recent discussion paper by the Higher Education Authority on the future of higher education; and the likely timescale for decisions on the structures that are likely to emerge …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 16 February]
“A university president has warned that any more delays in solving the funding crisis in higher education will damage thousands of students …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 17 February]
“Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to establish a database or network of PhD students at universities in the country and details of their work so as to create a portal into this important state resource …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 15 February]
“Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD visited the University of Limerick today as part of the Issues in Irish Journalism Seminar and discussed the economic concerns facing Irish students …” (more)
[Kelly O'Brien, An Focal, 15 February]
“Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will inform Dáil Éireann of the mean and median class contact hours for professors, associate professors and senior lecturers in the departments of economics of the following third level institutions: University College Dublin, University of Dublin, National University of Ireland Maynooth, National University of Ireland Galway, University College Cork, Dublin City University and the University of Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 14 February]
“Deputy John O’Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the centralised office for higher education grants will be in place; the location of same; when it will come into operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil Éireann Written Answers, 14 February]
“The Education Minister is beginning to play hardball with the universities and colleges, finally. There’s going to be a cut in the number of courses around the country that are almost exactly the same …” (more)
[Denis McEvoy, JOE, 13 February]
“All third-level institutions have been given six months to respond to official proposals which would result in the merger of many smaller colleges and the development of regional clusters of universities or institutes of technology …” (more)
[Carl O'Brien, Irish Times, 14 February]
“Is new General Secretary ready for fire fighting? The appointment of Seán Ó Foghlú, pictured, as the new Secretary General in the Department of Education was not unexpected …” (more)
[Irish Times, 14 February]
“LIT president Dr Maria Hinfelaar has declared herself ’100% confident’ the proposal to establish a Munster Technological University will go ahead. The plan, which would see LIT, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and Institute of Technology Tralee (IT Tralee) band together to form an amalgamated unit and thereby create the largest higher education institution in the region, would also bring Limerick’s tally of universities to two …” (more)
[Alan Owens, Limerick Leader, 13 February]
“The HEA’s proposed academic conditions read like a horror list of inadequacy, writes Emer O’Kelly. Anybody interested in the progress and advancement of third-level education and beyond is familiar with John Henry Newman’s late 19th Century treatise The Idea of a University. That, of course, is a given. I joke: like hell it’s a given …” (more)
[Independent, 12 February]
[Blogmeister's note: Wouldn't it be nice if the conditions were published, so that we could each form our own view, rather than having to make do with rants from journalists with privileged access?]
“The Education Minister’s decision to hike college registration fees was a ‘U-turn’ on a pre-election Labour pledge that had inspired many students to register to vote, according to a former Students’ Union president at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) …” (more)
[The Cork News, 9 February]
