News

Students are paying the price of the State Examination Commission’s failure to plan It is completely unacceptable that Leaving Cert results will not be issued until September 2, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “Delaying the Leaving Cert results until September 2 will cause huge levels of additional stress and worry. It will […]

It is not acceptable that children can be taught relationships should be placed in a hierarchy, depending on sexual orientation The refusal of a school in Wicklow to include LGBTQI+ relationships in its Relationships and Sexuality Education is an indictment of the government’s failure to reform the curriculum, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary […]

Ultimately, we need to ensure that equity is at the heart of these changes Plans announced today to reform the Leaving Cert are long overdue but welcome, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The first Leaving Cert exams took place in 1924 and, prior to 2020, remained largely unchanged in the intervening period. […]

This year is not a normal year, so we cannot have a ‘normal’ Leaving Cert The decision not to proceed with a hybrid Leaving Cert this year is a crushing blow for students and their families, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “This year’s Leaving Cert students have suffered two years of upheaval […]

We need to provide students with more choice than just the traditional Leaving Cert Education Minister Norma Foley must urgently make a decision on the format of this year’s state examinations and immediately publish a report from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) on permanent reform of the Leaving Cert, according to Social […]

Today we learn that schools will have to choose between Hepa filters and other essential works Clarity is urgently needed on the provision of Hepa filters for schools, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “At the weekend, it was reported that a €30 million scheme was being finalised to provide air filtration units […]

Nero fiddling has nothing on the diddling of the Minister while our schools fell victim to an airborne virus Education Minister Norma Foley owes school communities an apology after her Department performed a u-turn on the advice on mask wearing in schools, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “Last week, schools were given […]

If we are serious about suppressing the surge in covid, then we have to act fast The failure to roll out antigen testing in primary schools for nearly another two weeks is deeply concerning while the scheme itself is unnecessarily bureaucratic, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The Government has promised antigen testing […]

Government must prioritise schools for antigen testing It is indefensible that TDs would have access to free antigen tests before teachers and children, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “I have learned today that antigen tests will be made available for TDs, and Oireachtas staff, from next week. It is incredible that arrangements […]

It is about time the Minister took control and demonstrated some leadership The Minister for Education is missing in action as schools struggle to cope with a huge increase in the incidence of covid, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “Our school communities are being crushed under the pressure of covid. They are […]