Category: Education

Teacher unions frustrate reform of Irish education

Over the years the Irish teacher unions have demonstrated a remarkable ability to improve pay and conditions for their members. Periodic threats of industrial action, backed up with the possibility of an escalation to the ‘nuclear option’ (refusing to mark … Continue reading

Reforming Irish University Governance

Background
Once most of the world’s best universities were in Europe
• Governing board members drawn from within
• Many board members
• Rectors and Deans elected
Now they are in the US
• Governing board composed of external members … Continue reading

School-based Assessment: Deemphasising the Leaving Certificate

Ed Walsh

The startling rate at which the Irish school system is falling behind was highlighted in last December’s OECD’s PISA report
• In a decade reading levels in Ireland have dropped from 5th to 17th.
• 23 per cent … Continue reading

13 Steps to Reform Irish Education

1. Secularise and reform the education of primary teachers: more civics, science, math and modern languages.
2. Limit places in teacher education, making it an elite profession from which all but the most suitable are excluded
3. Upgrade the performance … Continue reading

My Education Week at Limerick, January 1970

Since 1845, when Limerick failed to get one of the Queen’s Colleges that went to Cork and Galway, a campaign for a university in Limerick simmered. Eventually in the 1960s it flared into a boisterous national campaign organised by the … Continue reading

Reforming Irish Education

Reforming Irish education: the challenge for the next minister

Edward Walsh

Spending more does not necessarily mean that schools become better; in fact they sometimes become worse.  During the past decade
Britain increased school funding by 21 percent and the … Continue reading

New Contract for Teachers

A NEW CONTRACT FOR TEACHERS

Edward Walsh

The McCarthy report comes in two volumes.  Volume 1 provides the broad brush strokes,
Volume 2 the details as to how €5.3bn of flab can be cut from the Irish public
sector in … Continue reading

Export Education

International education: addressing Ireland’s shortcomings

Ireland’s reputation as a quality location for international study leaves much to be desired: as a result it is failing to take advantage of quite a special opportunity.  Why special?  Because international students are increasingly … Continue reading

Characteristics of the World’s Best School Systems

Characteristics of the world’s best school systems

Edward Walsh                                                                                   31 October 2008

Competition in the knowledge economy is a race for talent and governments worldwide have been boosting educational expenditure to improve facilities, increase teachers’ salaries and reduce class size. … Continue reading

University Fees

University fees are going to be reintroduced.  The only question is how and when.

The answer to the first question is found in places like Australia and New Zealand. There, all students who go on to third-level pay fees, but … Continue reading