Plans for new rules on school admissions have been announced by the Education Minister
Ruairi Quinn says he wants to radically overhaul the system to make it more structured, fair and transparent
First come, first served and past-pupil policies may soon be a thing of the past, as the Government attempts to even the playing field for school applications
Minister Quinn says he doesn’t want to tell management how to run schools, but he does want to see them follow guidelines on what NOT to do, when it comes to enrolment policies
Also, Ruairí Quinn announced in October proposals to remove the Junior Certificate exam – and to drop external assessments in favour of internal school reviews
On Wednesday’s Morning Focus John Cooke spoke with Diarmuid de Paor – Deputy General Secretary of the ASTI – from their conference in Wexford
Latest Met Eireann statistics prove that last month was the coldest March since records began – for many parts of the country
Weather stations in Dublin, Mayo and Westmeath have never registered lower average temperatures during a month of March since they began operating in the 1940s and 50s
Rainfall was also above average in the south, east and southeast
Prof John Sweeney, the celebrated climatologist of NUI Maynooth, spoke with John about why it was the coldest March- and what’s ahead for Clare this Summer.
Probate genealogist Eileen O Dúill’s paternal grandmother hailed from O’Callaghan’s Mills- this is how the New Yorker became interested in genealogy
Now a member of Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland Eileen spends her days tracking down long lost relatives of people who have left them some of their estates after their death
Eileen will be at the Clare Roots Society’s second conference in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis this weekend
She spoke to John about tracing of American relatives and the fastinating stories she has encountered during her career as an ‘heir locator’
For more information see ww.clareroots.org or call 087 4176475
Principals of primary schools in Shannon have expressed concern over government plans to change the patronage of one local school.
The Education Minister says he’s looking to reduce the church’s dominance of primary education, and a survey of parents has indicated a desire for an Educate Together school in Clare’s second town.
However, principals say none of the existing schools are of a suitible size to cope with such a change.
John was joined by a panel of guests to discuss this move
Fr Brendan Quinlivan, Communications Officer of the Diocese of Killaloe, Shannon primary principals Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald of Tola’s and Peter Walshe of St Conaire’s and Jarlath Munnelly, Regional Development Officer Western Region with Educate Together.
Anne Marie O’Reilly of the Clare Citizens’ Information Service was in studio to answer listeners social welfare, employment and consumer law queries
Contact them on 076 107 5260.
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