An insider's guide to education
** Much comment across the education sector on a recent Irish Catholicarticle by Dr Peadar Cremin, the head of Mary Immaculate, one of the largest teacher training colleges in the State. Cremin writes that the recent Hunt Report on higher education is nothing less than a "strategy to secularise higher education in Ireland.''
If Hunt is implemented “it seems inevitable that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Education will force the closure of a number of Catholic Colleges,” he writes.
There is an arguable case, he continues, that the withdrawal of funding and the forced consolidation of Catholic institutions into State institutions, whether by incorporation or merger, as proposed by Hunt, is a breach of constitutional privilege and rights.
Current official strategy represents a serious attack upon Catholic colleges, he says.
All of this is likely to enrage Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn who has openly questioned why five teacher training colleges are controlled by the Catholic church.
It has also drawn unfavourable comment from some members of the Hunt review team.
But Cremin’s comments are significant; they represent the first salvo in what will be a lively debate about the future of Catholic education in Ireland.
In an Irish Catholicarticle in 2008, Cremin raised the question of the need for a Catholic university in Ireland. Expect more in the months to come.
** Who will be the next general secretary of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI)? First a confession. When the post was last vacant, this column overlooked veteran Peter McMenamin, the surprise choice for the job.
This time around, things look no less complex. Annette Dolan – who beat off her male rivals to take the deputy general secretary post – must have an outstanding chance.
Dolan was the long-time partner of the much admired independent deputy Tony Gregory. And she is a formidable figure in her own right. But what sensible person would back against two other TUI heavyweights – Declan Glynn and John MacGabhainn?
** Its true. There really is a literacy problem. An off-licence in Ballybough in Dublin is advertising the sale of “Carl’s Berg.” Probably the best spelling mistake in the world!
** Can anyone work out what is going on in the TCD provost election? In the run-up to Saturday’s vote , the race still seems very open, with very little between the front runners – Prendergast and Ohlmeyer.
In his latest media missive, Colm Kearney attacks the “Stalinist idea that all universities can be treated as one sector”. He also turns his fire on the Irish Universities Association, the representative group for the seven university presidents. He told The University Times the IUA was a “conduit through which the HEA pushes us around”.
Trinity, he said, has “cosied up too much to the IUA and Higher Education Authority.”
Other candidates are making broadly similar noises. Expect a much more assertive TCD – no matter who is elected.
And a shake up in TCD’s communications – by any measure, it has the worst performing media unit across the university sector. A new Provost will signal a major change in this area.
