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The Education Minister has pledged to continue to reduce the pupil teacher ratio in small schools and said the idea of scrapping homework for primary school students needs \u201canalysis\u201d.<\/p>\nThe Education Minister has pledged to continue to reduce the pupil teacher ratio in small schools and said the idea of scrapping homework for primary school students needs \u201canalysis\u201d.<\/p>\n
Joe McHugh said the party will also abolish the charge for the School Transport Scheme and introduce a free school books scheme for all primary schools.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the launch of Fine Gael\u2019s education plans, Mr McHugh said there will be a 25% increase in school capitation funding.<\/p>\n
Addressing the Green Party\u2019s suggestion to scrap homework for primary school children, Mr McHugh admitted it was an issue that comes up all over the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting conversation because there are questions around stress, around pressure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of parents who commute and they have to go home and sit down and do the homework and that can be stressful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a subject that needs analysis, but there\u2019s also the major benefits of homework, whereby parents are able to monitor the progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost schools have one opportunity through a parent-teacher meeting, so if you are making any changes you would probably have more than one parent-teacher meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just believe that there is value in homework and it\u2019s also what type of homework.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this notion that homework is just a drudgery but homework from my own personal insight is that young people are doing research, it\u2019s project work, they\u2019re using different data and that\u2019s at a primary school level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe debate has to start with the young people.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s an area that will require the parents\u2019 voice and students\u2019 voice before any minister or leader of any party stands up and says \u2018this should happen\u2019 or \u2018this should not happen\u2019.”<\/p>\n
The Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O\u2019Connor said that homework should be age-appropriate and time-appropriate.<\/p>\n
Ms Mitchell O\u2019Connor also rejected claims that the party is \u201cstarving\u201d universities of funding.<\/p>\n
She ruled out increasing registration fees and introducing a student loan scheme, adding that the budget was \u20ac1.8bn last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will establish a long-term funding model for higher and further education on the basis of it not raising registration fees,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not increase registration fees and one of the reasons is because it makes no sense because many universities across the world do not charge for registration fees, so we do not want our students leaving our country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to increase public funding and will ensure that extra funding provides more student places and a better student experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will increase the SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) grant by 5% on the income threshold for the grant and that will ensure that more students will be able to avail of third level places.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also said she is against the decriminalization of drugs, including \u201csoft\u201d and \u201chard\u201d drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a former school principal, I\u2019m a mother and a grandmother, and I really don\u2019t want to see that in our country,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also attended funerals of students who died during the summer, and I have seen the devastation of families.\u201d<\/p>\n