New ESRI study finds that most Irish primary school classrooms are not designed to be student-centred or to accommodate new technology.

As the number of full time students in Ireland reaches the million mark for the first time in the history of the State, new teaching positions come on stream.

Schools are being charged one-third more for gas than they should be because they are treated as businesses, Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes says.

The number of Language Support teachers in primary schools has dropped from 1620 last year to 1182 this year, Minister Batt O’Keeffe has admitted.

Approval has been given for new Catholic schools in Drogheda and Galway under the patronage of Cardinal Sean Brady and Bishop Martin Drennan.

The AGM of the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA) was held in Radisson SAS Hotel, Dublin Airport, on 24 April 2009.

Ruairi Quinn TD has called on the Government to act now to protect the infrastructure of primary schools which are largely owned by the Churches.

Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe has stated that last year the Government spent more than €50 milllion on temporary prefabs.

Minister O’Keeffe has claimed that 3,300 construction jobs could be created in 2009 by the Government’s €900 million school building programme.

As figures show the State spent EUR454m on school transport between 2005 and 2007, Fianna Fail TD Chris Andrews calls for the scheme to be revised.

Senator David Norris has said he intends to pursue the case of The Glebe Primary Montessori School, Celbridge, with the Department of Education.

The Minister for Education and Science Batt O’Keeffe outlines the rationale behind the stringent measures announced in Budget 2009 for the education sector.

Minister O’Keeffe has promised to publish on the internet the list of schools scheduled for building, along with their prioritisation within the programme.

Right Rev Ken Good, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, said the Budget proposals break a 1968 agreement reached by the church with the State.

Fine Gael Education spokesman Brian Hayes outlined 32 cuts in education not mentioned by Minister Brian Lenihan in his budget speech.

In outlining the Budget measures, Minister Batt O’Keeffe called on the education partners to “work with him in collectively meeting challenges”.

With only a fortnight left to the application deadline for the Summers Works Scheme, no forms have yet been made available by the Department.

October 15 is an important date for all with an interest in School Age Care, when an exciting conference on the subject will be held in Maynooth.

An OECD report confirms that Irish primary teachers teach some of the largest classes in the developed world, and also have longer teaching hours.

Minister Batt O’Keeffe seeks to convince educators that the government strategy on class size is working – but the figures speak for themselves.