Annual media Profiling of the Minister for Education and Science

national | health / disability issues | other press

Tuesday March 25, 2008 19:45

by C Murray

Irish Times Blanket Coverage of INTO Conference

The I.T Newswire is full of Information on the attendance of Mary Hanafin TD at the INTO Conference.
headlines emerging discuss the secularisation of the Primary School System (only the religious would
put up with the degradation that seems obvious to most parents..) and the ongoing 'reform'of the sector.
I though that our 'Multi-culturalism' was strictly of White-eastern Europeans and bi-lingual Polish community,
given the fight that many Nigerian parents have had to put up to have their kids access health and education
services. Ms Hanafin did not dissapoint, her speech is accessible to download at:-
http://www.into.ie/ROI , it is currently unavailable on http://www.education.ie (Department of Education and Science)

Irish Schools Map Site

INTO website contains both John Carr's address which is excerpted below and Minister Hanafin's address
the department of Education and Science does not contain a copy of either address*

Firstly No FF education Minister has attended in ten years the Dsylexic Association Conferences, where parents of
Special Needs Kids have consistently agigtated for better services for kids, including access to educational
psychology services in order that kids can get help which include:

1. Readers for state examinations.
2.Adequate access to resource and IT.
3. Exemptions from the Irish language Programmes.
4.recognition og their conditions in the teeth of relentless mainstreaming in the state sector,
where capitation grants to travellers have been removed and until this last year Private sector capitation
had been increased.

John Carr's Address:

'I said to you last year that the INTO would be happy to see you come back and "finish the job that needs to be
done in Primary Education", I should have course said of course said "provided you received the democratic
endorsement of the people...far from finishing the job that needs to be done, you have allowed it to grind to a halt,
far from progressing that I raised with you last year, the primary education agenda, this year has gone into
reverse"

http://www.into.ie/ROI

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85274
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/84271
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/83156

The issue of reducation in services to kids with autism is ongoing and I will add in media links in comments.
the Dept of education and Science has also been taking part in the tribunal on abuse of children in Care.