An insider’s guide to education

- The Catholic bishops areengaged in a "cat and mouse" game with the Department over the handover of Catholic schools.

It is almost two years since Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the Church was ready to divest control of some Catholic schools. He envisaged a scenario where, say, one-in-four schools in some Dublin areas could be transferred to other patrons.

Since then, the Department has written to Dr Martin and held several meetings with the bishops, but there is still no sign of the elusive list. There are also suggestions that not all bishops share Dr Martin’s views.

On Thursday, after the latest meeting, the bishops again failed to deliver the list. Instead, the Department agreed to look at its database and identify “some locations where an implementation framework could be developed.’’

Why does the feeling persist that the bishops are one step ahead?

- Rugby hero Brian O'Driscollwas gracious and eloquent when he received the Foundation Medal at UCD recently.

O’Driscoll, who took a sports diploma at the university, never actually graduated. As he explained, his academic career was put on the longest finger as his rugby career took flight.

One striking feature of the dinner was the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen’s good humour as he recounted his own rugby career in Belfield. As the video highlighted O’Driscoll’s finest moments, Cowen told his UCD guests: “You certainly know how to make a politician feel humble.’’

- Keith Moon, the legendarydrummer with The Who, gained notoriety for his bashing of hotel rooms.

Now, apparently the contagion has spread to TCD students. Trinity Newsreports on high jinks during a training day for student union "class reps'' at the four-star Carlton Hotel near Dublin Airport.

According to the News, several rooms, corridors and lifts were coated with beer and fire extinguisher foam. And one student flipped a table from a top floor balcony. Charming.

The bill for damages is still under negotiation between the hotel and the TCD Students’ Union.

- Let's hope the "Carlton crew"were not among the 40 or so students who briefed the National Strategy for Higher Education on their hopes and dreams last week.

The group, chaired by economist Colin Hunt, invited the students to the meeting so they could hear at first hand the Authentic Voice of Young People – whatever that might be.

- Who will the next presidentof Dublin City University?

Interviews at the university take place early next month. Apparently six candidates have been shortlisted.

These include DCU vice-president, Anne Scott; UCD vice-president, Philip Nolan; Brian McGrath of the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute at DCU, one academic from Queen’s and one from Scotland.

At this stage, Nolan is the clear favourite. The decision will be made by DCU Chancellor (and former Attorney General) David Byrne, assisted by external experts.

- Congratulations to John White, general secretary of the ASTI, who will shortly be conferred with a Doctorate from the National University of Ireland.

The past decade has been a very turbulent one for the union, which closed schools during its ill-fated strike action in 2001.

As the union tore itself apart in a bitter civil war, White emerged as a powerful voice of reason and good sense.

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