Ninth Level Ireland

“Depending on who you ask, you may well receive a different answer on what it means to give or receive consent. ‘It’s simple’, someone might say, ‘No means No and Yes means Yes’. But in an environment where 32% of Irish students reported they would find it difficult to tell their partner they did not want to have sex and 1 in 4 female students have experienced unwanted sexual contact …” (more)

[Jack Ryan, Trinity News, 8 November]

“Children and adults requiring special care dentistry whose needs have not been met in the past will be among those to benefit when Cork University Dental School and Hospital opens its doors in 2023. Helen Whelton, head of the College of Medicine and Health at University College Cork (UCC), said the new school will address the Government’s new national oral health policy which acknowledges the need to improve dental services for vulnerable people …” (more)

[Catherine Shanahan, Irish Examiner, 8 November]

“Irish universities have purchased over 46,000 live animals for research use between 2017 and 2018, with Trinity and University College Cork (UCC) far surpassing the national average. According to records released to Trinity News under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, University College Cork (UCC) purchased 22,946 live animals in total in 2017 and 2018 for use in research, while Trinity purchased 17,038 between October 2016 and October 2018, a significantly higher number than purchases made by other universities around the country …” (more)

[Lauren Boland, Trinity News, 7 November]

“The Irish Universities Association (IUA) today officially launched the Enhancing Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning in Irish Universities (EDTL) project as the final event of the World Conference on Online Learning. This is an ambitious three-year project, funded by the Higher Education Authority’s Innovation and Transformation Programme …” (more)

[IUA, 7 November]

“The Higher Education Commission consultation is a missed opportunity to address all key issues in the sector. The current Government process and consultation aims to update the Higher Education Authority Act, 1971, which sets out the functions of the HEA and provided for its governance. The Act provides for the funding and overall financial monitoring of designated institutions of higher education by the HEA …” (more)

[IFUT, 7 November]

“Sir, – Seán Byrne (Letters, November 7th) bemoans ‘the absence of matrices, calculus and complex numbers’ from a ‘modern maths exam’. Continuing, he states, ‘The topics listed were never on the Intermediate Certificate but they were essential topics on the Leaving Certificate until the 1990s’ …” (more)

[Fintan Gibney, Irish Times, 8 November]