An insider's guide to education
The Hennessy factor
The chairman of the Higher Education Authority, John Hennessy, is continuing to make a strong impression. Hennessy, the former head of Ericsson in Ireland, has gained something of a reputation for straight talking. Last week, he pitched in again, warning about restrictive public-sector work practices that bedevil higher education.
Hennessy has astonished colleagues in the HEA since taking on his role, two years ago.
It was expected he would devote one or two days a week to the part-time role, which pays about €12,000 a year. Instead, Hennessy has impressed colleagues with his heavy workload and his restless push for dramatic change. Critically, he is also very well regarded by Ruairí Quinn, even though he was nominated by the previous Fianna Fáil regime.
The question now: Can Hennessy maintain his enthusiasm or will the rigidities in our higher-education system wear him down?
Labour targets fee-paying schools
The fee-paying sector has run a strong rearguard action in response to all that negative publicity about lavish school facilities, educating the elite and so on.
Belvedere College headmaster – and Kerry man – Gerry Foley is a very effective advocate of their case. But their enemies have not gone away. While it attracted little publicity, the recent Labour Party conference passed a motion backing an end to the €90 million public subsidy of the fee-paying sector.
The Labour grassroots are continuing to exert pressure on Ruairí Quinn on this issue. He has responded with the current audit that is examining how the 56 private schools are spending the additional €100 million they receive in fee income from parents.
The results of that audit, which should make very interesting reading, will be published in the autumn.
Sporting teachers
Have you ever met a male primary teacher who is not a GAA star?
It might explain why we loved 200 Reasons Not to Leave Dublin on TotallyDublin.ie, especially No 8, Croke Park: "This country has an 82,000 seat stadium devoted to a set of sports that your primary-school teacher used to play at the highest level. Appreciate that."
Dumbed down maths?
There is still a great deal of concern in education about Project Maths, the new “user-friendly’’ programme for schools. It is designed to boost standards in a subject in which Irish teenagers perform at only average levels compared with their counterparts in other OECD countries.
It is hoped the new programme will entice more students to take higher-level maths in the Leaving Cert; last year only about 12 per cent of Leaving Cert students took the exam at honours level.
The programme is clearly well intentioned. But will it raise standards? In its review, University College Cork’s school of mathematical studies raised key concerns about the content of the new programme, the exaggerated claims made on its behalf and the lack of teacher training and preparation for the brave new era.
Resistance to the new “dumbed-down” programme is building among maths teachers. But is anyone in the Department of Education listening? The department, it appears, is focused only on those encouraging new figures that indicate greater student interest in higher-level maths – no surprise given the 25 bonus CAO points on offer. But will Project Maths become the problem rather than the solution?
Like father . . .
Conan Quinn and his debating partner Paul O’Dwyer won the recent senior All-Ireland Debating Championship at Belfield. They were representing St Conleth’s College, in Ballsbridge in Dublin. Conan is the son of Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn. The two boys were the unanimous choice of the seven-judge panel. Conan opened the debate and spoke in favour of the motion that Fianna Fáil should be disbanded. Now where did he get expert knowledge on that subject?
