Ninth Level Ireland

“On Friday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced cuts to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for part-time workers from €350 to €203 a week, affecting students who were working part-time during the academic term. For many students, the summer months are a time for saving money to pay for college accommodation and student fees. The payment cut affects those who were working part-time and making less than €200 a week prior to Covid-19 …” (more)

[Rachel Healy, College Tribune, 6 June]

“The Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) has called for the government to allocate adequate unemployment payment to students who will miss out on summer work due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This follows Taoiseach Leo Varadakar’s statement yesterday that the unemployment payment is due to be cut for some part-time workers …” (more)

[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 5 June]

“While admitting to feeling ‘a little let down’ in the wake of last week’s Munster Technological University (MTU) announcement, WIT President Willie Donnelly has told staff: ‘We have earned the title of University’ …” (more)

[Dermot Keyes, Waterford News and Star, 31 May]

“An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor today (26 May 2020) announced the decision to grant Technological University Status to the TU Consortium made up of Cork Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Tralee …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 26 May]

“This year’s Leaving Cert students are expected to be assessed through predictive grades, in a radical departures from the normal State exams. These grades would be based on their performance in school, under plans that are set to go before the Cabinet on Friday …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 7 May]

“Leaving Cert students may be awarded grades based on their class ranking and their performance in recent assessments under a potential ‘Plan B’ to the summer exams. The Irish Times understands that a draft Department of Education plan could involve school principals signing off on a process where teachers award provisional grades based on student performance to date …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien and Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 7 May]

“Each Leaving Cert student should be given the choice of sitting an exam this year or having their marks calculated on a mixture of past results and overall national averages, says an education expert. It would be kinder to students and better for their mental health if the State examinations were formally cancelled and replaced with a series of options …” (more)

[Alan O’Keeffe, Independent, 3 May]

“The Leaving Cert must be cancelled and ‘fair alternatives’ to the State exams must be worked on, Fianna Fáil has said. Speaking following the publication on Friday night of the Government’s plan for exiting the coronavirus lockdown, the party’s education spokesman Thomas Byrne said it had added to the ‘already heightened anxiety’ among students …” (more)

[Patrick Logue and Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 2 May]

“The President of NUI Galway has said significant investment in profound research focused on helping human health and well-being during the current health emergency will be announced today by the Taoiseach. Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said the funding will support medical, technical and social research projects specifically focused on Covid-19, a number of which are based at NUI Galway …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 29 April]

“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today told Trinity’s graduating medicine students that they’ll play a vital role in battling the coronavirus pandemic, in an online graduation ceremony held so students can join the frontlines in the next month …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 28 April]

“Almost every graduating doctor this year is to be offered an internship in a bid to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has pledged. For the first time, more than 1,000 internships are to be offered to this year’s medical students as they graduate, according to Mr Varadkar …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 17 April]

“The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar will address 197 medical graduates at University College Cork (UCC) in a special video message tomorrow (Friday, April 17th) as they take part in the University’s first-ever online graduation ceremony. Their graduation has been brought forward to assist the health service during the COVID-19 pandemic …” (more)

[Mary Corcoran, EchoLive, 16 April]

“This summer’s leaving certificate exams have been postponed until late July or early August, the government has announced, meaning students are likely to start college later than planned. The decision, announced this afternoon by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Education Joe McHugh, means sixth-year students around the country will start their college courses much later than they normally would …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 10 April]

“The Leaving Cert exams scheduled in June are to be postponed and will now run from late July until August, the Government has announced. The Junior Cycle, meanwhile, is set to be replaced by school-based exams which will run in the new academic year. The changes mean tens of thousands of students who are due to progress to third level and further education are likely to commence their courses much later than they originally anticipated …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 10 April]

“State exams may now be held in late summer or autumn as the Government believes it is unlikely that Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted in time for the usual June start date. Students have been urged to continue with their studies as senior officials in the Department of Education consider a range of contingency options due to the coronavirus crisis …” (more)

[Jennifer Bray and Éanna Ó Caollaí, Irish Times, 9 April]

“Plans are being developed to allow for the Leaving and Junior cert exams to go ahead this year. Yesterday, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government wants sixth year students to be able to start college later this year …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 3 April]

“In what can only be described as absolutely unprecedented times, hundreds of thousands of children are at home and not going to school for a very elongated period. Leo Varadkar has said that as things stand, the State exams of the Junior and Leaving Certificates will be going ahead in the summer …” (more)

[James Brennan, TheLiberal.ie, 2 April]

“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government is examining the issue of student nurses working in hospitals during the Covid-19 emergency and not getting paid. He said the Minister Health Simon Harris would have proposals on the issue shortly …” (more)

[Aisling Kenny, RTÉ News, 25 March]

“Schools and universities will not reopen until after the Easter holidays, the Government has said. The Government confirmed that all guidelines on closures will be extended, with the hope that schools will reopen in May or June …” (more)

[Aoife Moore, Irish Examiner, 25 March]

“Colleges are to remain closed until at least April 19th, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said, among a number of new lockdown measures implemented as Ireland battles to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 24 March]