An insider's guide to education.

It was changed times at last Thursday's Budget briefing on education where a downbeat Mary Hanafin was forced to backtrack on those pre-election commitments on class size.

So long the bearer of good news, the Minister is readjusting to some new realities, not least the dominant influence of Brian Cowen in Cabinet. There has been some suggestion of a certain frisson between the two senior ministers, but apparently they worked together harmoniously in the run-in to the Budget.

Brian Hayes, the new Fine Gael education spokesman is enjoying the Minister's current discomfort hugely. Fine Gael has targeted the Minister's status as the "golden girl" of the Cabinet - and Hayes is certainly making an impression.

Yes, his decision to sit-in on the press briefing was a shameless publicity stunt but it achieved its objective - winning Hayes the profile he needed to highlight those "broken promises".

Hanafin was scathing about Hayes's pre-Christmas panto. He can only get publicity by gate-crashing someone else's party, she observed.

On the way out of Government Buildings, the hacks were treated to the Minister whistling It's My Party (and I'll cry if I want to). Give the Minister some credit; at least she has a sense of humour!

In the old days that CAO deadline of February 1st was ingrained in the minds of students and very few bothered to fill in the "change of mind" form.

But all has changed. Last year, some 20,000 students used a change of mind form in the final seven days before the July 1st deadline - more evidence of how the Class of 2007 was spoilt for choice.

Is it now time for the CAO to scrap its second-round of offers in late August?

These days, the vast majority of students get what they want in the first round of offers published shortly after the Leaving Cert results in mid-August.

A recent report from Prospectus Consulting examined the management capacity of the institute of technology sector.

In the course of its research, it interviewed Gerry Murray a principal officer in the department. Murray was an adviser to fellow Meathman Noel Dempsey during his time in Education.

Murray must have been impressed by the potential of the institutes. Certainly, the institutes were impressed by his input.

He was recently appointed chief executive of Institutes of Technology Ireland, the new name for the group which represents 13 ITs

This is the last Teachers' Pet of the year. We wish all readers - and whistleblowers - the very best of 2008. The column returns in January.