Fighting a crime wave on the campus

Over at TCD bicycle theft and the theft of cash and computers is also de rigeur. And the TCD figures hint at a much higher level of drug use. Six such reports were notified to the college authorities between January and October last year.

These included "Spanish youths smoking hash in the garden" and "three instances of youths with drugs on campus."

Hanafin out of woods on autism?

Is Mary Hanafin out of the woods on the autism issue?

Only 20 backbench TD's attended last week's Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting on the issue. And the meeting focused on overall level of services , rather than just the contentious ABA issue.

Hanafin is said to be furious with Mary O'Rourke since the latter took a swipe at the Department of Education on the autism last month. The two women have scarcely exchanged a word in recent years and there is a real frisson in the air between them.

But the threatened backbench revolt on the issue has not materialised.

And as a recent Week in Politics programme underlined, there now appears to be little substantial policy differences between the Government and Fine Gael on the issue.

Appointments raise profile

Two recent appointments are already making their presence felt in education circles.

In a matter of months, the new Higher Education Authority communications director Malcolm Byrne has achieved miracles in raising the authority's profile and influence.

Expect Clive Byrne, the new boss of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), to have a similar impact.

ICG honour

All good fun at the annual conference of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) Conference in Maynooth on Friday night.

It was good to see our distinguished colleague Brian Mooney, a former president of the IGC, receive a fellowship for his sterling work.

E-mail us at teachers pet@irish-times.ie