“The TUI has questioned the financial viability of the Munster Technological University. Former Minister Joe McHugh granted IT Tralee and CIT technological university status in May, when he approved the creation of the MTU …” (more)
[Radio Kerry News, 5 August]
“Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael): I move: ‘That the Bill be now read a Second Time’. It is a great pleasure to present to the House the Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Bill 2020, which passed all Stages in the Seanad yesterday. This Bill establishes, for the first time in the history of the State, a Department focused on further and higher education, research, innovation and science. We will now have a Department whose chief remit will be the further and higher education needs of our economy and our people …” (debate, resumed debate)
[Dáil debates, 24 July]
“Leaving Cert students who wish to receive a calculated grade will be required to ‘opt in’ online next month in advance of results being issued. More than 60,000 students have already registered with a student portal and they will be contacted directly when it is time to indicate if they wish to opt-in to receive their calculated grades. A department spokesman said this is due to take place in July …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 25 June]
“The traditional version of the Leaving Certificate exam will be held in November at the earliest, the Education Minister Joe McHugh has said. More than 60,000 students were due to sit the written exam this year but it was postponed and replaced with calculated grades due to the coronavirus pandemic …” (more)
[Aine McMahon, Independent, 24 June]
“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated loss in funding for higher education institutions, research funding through institutions and loss in income from student accommodation likely in 2020 and 2021 for universities, institutes of technology, further education colleges and English language schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 16 June]
“Darragh O’Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has published guidelines for the reopening of English language schools following the phased reopening of society; if so, if the guidelines will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 16 June]
“Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will request and urge UCD to revoke the cancellation of all outgoing Erasmus arrangements for 2020 in circumstances in which the receiving institutions are willing to accept students from Ireland and in view of UCD preparing to accept international students onto campus-based courses from September 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 16 June]
“Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the SUSI requirement will be reduced for students who have applied for asylum, subsidiary protection or leave to remain here from three years in a school here to two years reflecting the duration of the leaving certificate …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 16 June]
“The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD, Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor and Minister of State for Training Skills, Innovation, Research and Development John Halligan today announced almost 17,000 new places to be made available to people seeking to upskill or reskill …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 17 June]
“Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the additional income provided to students that were working part-time and are now in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment will be factored into their income eligibility for student grants under SUSI in 2021 …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 9 June]
“Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the timeframe for the reopening of English language schools; the supports his Department can provide to the sector in view of the impact of Covid-19 on it; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 9 June]
“Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that recently took their HPAT exams; his views on whether these exams took place in and around the time of the pre-examinations those students with an ambition to study medicine would have focused more on the HPAT than the pre-leaving certificate; his further views on whether these students are now at a distinct disadvantage in view of the recent announcement that their calculated grades will be partially based on those pre-results; his plans to provide equity for these students; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 9 June]
“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the eligibility criteria for SUSI grants will be changed to take account of changed financial circumstances that parents of students are experiencing presently; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 9 June]
“Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to, and his views on a document (details supplied); if he will be in a position to provide additional funding to the third-level sector; if this will include additional funding to ensure places through SUSI, HEAR and DARE spaces; and if it will increase the number of university places overall and increase funding to ensure that sustainability and innovation within the sector is safeguarded …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 9 June]
“Secondary schools are due to begin sending calculated grades for more than 60,000 Leaving Cert students to the Department of Education from Monday. An online portal is due to go live from midday on Monday which will allow schools to begin feeding back their students’ grades …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 8 June]
“The Education Minister Joe McHugh says everything’s in place for the Technological University for the South East to go ahead and submit an application this year. The issue was raised in the Dail by Local TD John McGuinness and Waterford’s David Cullinane …” (more)
[Domhnall Doyle, KCLR, 4 June]
“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will engage with third-level colleges and universities that have to date failed to refund some students for their prepaid student accommodation not now being used; if he will request that students be fully refunded; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 3 June]
“Pádraig O’Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration will be given to including English language teachers in the Covid-19 working group for the English language education sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 3 June]
“An ‘open the gates’ approach to third-level entry was considered as an alternative to this summer’s Leaving Cert, but the suggestion was dismissed over concerns it would lead to ‘significant’ drop-outs. Matriculation exams and SAT admissions tests were also considered as alternative routes to third level this year …” (more)
[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 4 June]
“This year’s calculated grades process for Leaving Cert students could influence how future end-of-school exams are carried out, the president of a teachers’ union has said. Seamus Lahart, president of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, said the union is in principle opposed to the idea of teachers grading their own students for the purposes of State exams …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 2 June]
