“NUI Galway is to finalise timetables for students by the end of the month as the university prepares to reopen. The university received guidance on the reopening of third level in recent weeks and is now examining the roll-out before the September reopening …” (more)
[Galway Bay FM, 4 August]
“The battle for a new technological university in the south-east has been an uphill battle, with little obvious progress being made since plans were originally published in 2015. The South-East has found itself to be something of an anomaly in terms of access to higher education in Ireland …” (more)
[Faye Curran, University Times, 4 August]
“Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide third level educational opportunities for residents in direct provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that have been put in place to help students returning to third-level education who are uncertain as to the way in which they will pay fees, especially in cases in which part-time income has been affected by Covid-19 …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the costs expended to date by all agencies on the establishment of the Munster technological university; the estimated expenditure that will be needed for the remainder of 2020; if Cork Institute of Technology or Institute of Technology Tralee will be offering a voluntary redundancy scheme to staff; if so, the estimated cost of such a scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the establishment of the technological university of the south-east with the provision of a County Wexford campus; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“Sir, – The surest way for schools to fully re-open at the end of August is to totally suppress Covid-19 on the entire island as per New Zealand. This means 100% buy-in on masks, distancing, etc, backed by effective legislation along with a 24-hour testing service, compulsory testing/isolation of incoming travellers, minimal foreign travel and all-island collaboration …” (more)
[Letters, Irish Times, 3 August]
“One of the country’s largest teaching unions has warned that plans to hire more than 1,000 extra teachers for secondary schools will not be achieved unless the issue of pay parity within the profession is addressed. The Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland has called on the Government to commit to the restoration of equal pay for individuals who had taken up teaching posts after 2010 if it was serious about recruiting and retaining 1,080 additional secondary teachers …” (more)
[Seán McCárthaigh, Irish Times, 3 August]
“As we celebrate our tenth birthday and look forward to our second decade, we thought it would be a good time to take stock and reflect on some lessons we – and others – have learned …” (more)
[Ivan Oransky, Retraction Watch, 3 August]
“Going out is a central part of the College experience – particularly when you’re in first year. Trinity Hall allows freshers an unprecedented amount of freedom, and they normally take full advantage of that. Unfortunately for residents around Halls, this means plenty of drunken students making a lot of noise and generally disturbing the peace most nights of the week …” (more)
[University Times, 2 August]
“Earlier this week, Simon Harris – quite rightly – referred to the prevalence of sexual violence on third-level campuses as an ‘epidemic’, and announced a number of initiatives to tackle the issue. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Welfare Officer Leah Keogh and the National Women’s Council of Ireland praised Harris on the initiatives he announced …” (more)
[University Times, 2 August]
“35 complaints of sexual assault and harassment have been reported to third level institutes in the last 3 years. According to the Sunday Times, IT Sligo has received 20 reports, UCD had 12 complaints while Trinity College picked up just one report …” (more)
[Ocean FM, 2 August]
“The Government may have to consider introducing a fresh staff recruitment ban and freezing promotions in the public sector because of the recession caused by Covid-19, it can be revealed. In briefing documents prepared for new Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath, obtained by the Irish Examiner, it is made clear some of the stark choices facing him as he grapples with the €30bn deficit …” (more)
[Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 2 August]
“International English language students have made headlines in recent weeks due to doubts about their visas and the quality of online classes. Their teachers are also facing unclear futures due to the continuing pandemic; some are teaching online for six hours a day, while others are facing permanent unemployment …” (more)
[Jessica Doyle, Irish Examiner, 1 August]
“The manicured lawns at the front entrance at Trinity College Dublin have been removed and are about to be transformed into a wildflower meadow in response to Ireland’s ‘biodiversity crisis’ …” (more)
[Kevin O’Sullivan, Irish Times, 31 July]
“NUI Galway has challenged a finding in an interim report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation that its medical school had received and paid for 35 infant remains from the Tuam mother and baby home. In its fifth interim report, published in April of last year, the commission found that between 1949 and 1964, Galway Medical School ‘received and paid for 35 infant anatomical subjects’ …” (more)
[Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, 30 July]
“On 14 June the Department of Education and Skills published a Request for Information (RFI) to identify PPE, Consumables and Equipment Suppliers to support the education sector. This procurement has been managed as a negotiated procedure …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 30 July]
“A students’ society at NUI Galway has criticised the university for raising the weekly fees at the college créche. NUIG Life Society claims fees have increased from €174 to €220 per week …” (more)
[Galway Bay FM, 30 July]
“The Department of Education has promised ring-fenced funding of €1 million for students undertaking a Professional Master of Education (PME). Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, announced today that an additional €1 million will be given to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) for PME students who are experiencing financial difficulties …” (more)
[Emma Hanrahan, College Tribune, 30 July]
“It has emerged that UCD has paid over €80 million to JJ Rhatigan & Co contractors so far to finance the ongoing construction of student residences on campus. The €82,032,228.39 sum has been disclosed following a Freedom of Information request by Ken Foxe, Director of Right To Know, for the University’s accounts of invoices over €20,000 between November 2016 and March of this year …” (more)
[Rowan Kelleher, College Tribune, 30 July]
