Department of Education

How can our education system remain fit for purpose for the next generation?

Today, Ireland’s education system finds itself at a critical juncture

Teacher shortages: High cost of living creates Dublin ‘brain drain’

Urban allowance similar to London weighting could help alleviate difficulties in recruiting staff, figures in profession say

Underfunding in education

Minister might well reflect on fact that virtually every household in the country will be ‘not adequately funded’ this year due to energy costs

There’s more than one elephant in the room when it comes to schools and religion

Some parents want faith-based education

Minister for Education defends projected department overspend of up to €700m

Hildegarde Naughton makes ‘absolutely no apologies around the need to make sure we are adequately funded’

Department of Education’s €600m overspend to be bailed out by other departments’ budgets

The cost of the overspend will have to be met from reducing spending increases elsewhere – a development likely to infuriate Ministers

Teachers fear being fired if they speak out about religious discrimination

Schools may take action to stop teachers “undermining the religious ethos” of the school. This has a chilling effect

Minister defends education convention as more appropriate than Citizens’ Assembly

Hildegarde Naughton says Athlone meeting is ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’ to shape Ireland’s education system

Expert panel on education will have children as full members for the first time

The Convention on Education will debate the future of education in Ireland, with children’s views carrying equal weight

461 school restraint incidents involving children with special needs since September

A number of the documented incidents resulted in injury

Celbridge school to reopen on Monday after safety issues addressed

Board of management closed the school this week following external fire-safety and building-compliance reviews

Teacher suffered five broken teeth trying to keep child safe in classroom that was refused extra SNA

National Council for Special Education apologises for ‘any and all upset and uncertainty’ caused by review of SNA allocations

€160 million tender for education and training services collapses over ‘anomalies’

Temporary arrangements being put in place to ensure no disruption for students and trainees in further education

Celbridge primary school to close tomorrow due to ‘urgent’ fire safety and building compliance issues

St Patrick’s Primary will shut its doors from Thursday for remedial works

Having to reveal how voluntary contributions are spent is insulting to schools

The Minister for Education has chosen not to address the funding deficit, which is the essence of governance by distraction

Fifth of secondary schools forced to drop subjects due to teacher shortages, survey finds

School principals report continuing problems with teacher recruitment and retention

Adults aged under 35 and women most enthusiastic about learning Irish language, survey finds

Survey on behalf of Údarás na Gaeltachta measures public attitudes towards Irish language and Gaeltacht

Dáil sounded like a Formula 1 grand prix this week but was really a slow bicycle race

Inside Politics: Changes to rent regulations prompt high-decibel bad-tempered exchanges

Weaknesses in policymaking: A challenge to the Convention on Education

Reviews of the Department of Education have found it to be overworked, reactive, overly absorbed in short-term operational issues and lacking space for long-term strategic thinking

Government moves to solve a political problem by spending money on it - again

Political pressure works. That lesson will not be lost on other groups looking for more resources

Significant component of Leaving Certificate science exams risks student safety, teachers claim

Department of Education advised to pause AAC implementation immediately on health and safety grounds

‘Take school dinners’ before cutting SNAs, parents and teachers tell Government

Parents of children who rely on the support of SNAs are fearful of losing this vital resource

The Irish Times view on the SNA controversy: pitfalls and problems

If demand continues to rise it must be managed in a more structured way

Schools approved for additional SNA care will receive it, junior minister says

Any staff losses will be from September 1st, not ‘now or Easter’, Michael Moynihan says

Increased diagnoses of autism and ADHD driving rise in SNAs but budget falls short of demand

SNA review comes against the backdrop of spending overruns, with Department of Education needing a €567m bailout last year

What can schools realistically do to support students’ mental health and wellbeing?

Too many school policies fail to distinguish between them, which puts pressure on everyone

‘How does education need to evolve to support children?’: Convention invites public to speak up 

Public invited to have their say into how education system needs to evolve

Change in guidance on use of pronouns for trans students to be considered

Independent review of current school ‘resource’ on LGBTQI+ issues under way

Primary school forced to close despite warning six months earlier of fire safety problems

Department of Education ‘suddenly very forthcoming once closure happened’

Teacher who stole money from primary school had ‘all-consuming’ addiction, hearing told

Individual previously received a suspended sentence for the thefts before a jury in the Circuit Court

Protest urging new Dublin city Gaelcholáiste draws 100 young pupils

Gaelscoil principal very concerned as there is ‘no master plan, timeline and virtual images’ for development of building

Schools to tell parents how much is collected in voluntary contributions and how money is spent

Minister to bring to Cabinet proposals for new statutory charter to strengthen accountability in schools

Transgender rights misinformation is the last thing schools need

It was irresponsible of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties to publish the Know Your Rights guide

Just 10 extra minutes in Leaving Cert not enough for dyslexic students, say advocates

About 30,000 students to get extra time in Junior and Leaving Cert under interim scheme for those with additional needs

Minister brushes off suggestion Galway schools prioritised in €1.6bn investment

Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne asked: ‘Why are 10 per cent of the schools in Co Galway?’

Taoiseach criticises ‘shocking’ level of ignorance about Holocaust

Department of Education working on plans to ensure schoolchildren are educated about the murder of six million Jews in second World War

Department rejects ICCL claim schools are obliged to use trans students’ preferred pronouns

No legal obligation on schools to use preferred pronouns as stated in ICCL guide, says Department of Education

Campaigners warn Irish language action plan may fail to meet public service targets

Action Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2026-2028 is the first of two implementation plans to be implemented by 2030.

Concerns over use of post-primary students’ data in performance tracker

More than 400 schools use Athena Tracker, which predicts and monitors individual capabilities

Former teacher twice pretended to be pregnant to claim maternity benefit, court hears

It was alleged Eimear Carroll dishonestly made gains of approximately €12,425 from two Government departments

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