An insider's guide to education
• Labour's Jan O'Sullivan and Fine Gael's Olwyn Enrightsecured a decent amount of publicity for their recent joint initiative on the crisis in maths and science. But the truth is both are struggling to make a real impact, let alone land a blow on Mary Hanafin.
Is it time for them to review their approach ?
The discussion paper on maths was a welcome break from the daily round of press releases pushed out by both parties on education issues. If any education issue hits the front pages, you can guarantee Labour or Fine Gael or both will roll out a statement by midday blaming Hanafin for the mess/scandal/ oversight.
It is all good stuff. But is this scattergun approach achieving anything of substance?
Might both opposition parties be much better off formulating detailed policy on key issues such as the lack of education planning in the new suburbs, the drift away from State education and the rise of the grind school culture, league tables and much more? At the moment, both parties are generating a great deal of heat but very little light.
• Employment news. Ruth Carmody has been promoted to the position of assistant secretary in the Department of Education. Carmody, who is close to secretary general Brigid McManus, replaces Paul Kelly who retired from his post earlier this year.
• The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has set a December 12th deadline for the UCC governing body to report on the Gerry Wrixon controversy.
One person with a great interest in the outcome will be a member of the HEA board, Prof Ciaran Murphy from the department of accounting, finance and information systems at UCC.
Murphy has the expertise needed to assess those allegations that the level of debt at UCC has reached dangerously high levels.
• The ongoing internecine warfare up at DIT is bad news for its mild-mannered boss, Brian Norton, who had hoped all this nasty stuff had blown itself out.
Internecine warfare has been part of the fabric at DIT for as long as anyone can remember. This time round, the crisis is in the business faculty, where there is even talk of High Court actions.
Expect this to run and run. The TUI's Peter McMenamin is a doughty campaigner and he is unlikely to give up easily. All bad news for DIT as it packs its bags for the new €1 billion facility at Grangegorman.
Is it time to give teachers extra pay and get rid of those annoying in-service days that have presented such difficulties for working parents this term? We only ask.
• Got any education gossip? E-mail us at teacherspet@irish-times.ie
