Summary of ideas submitted in the Education category…

• Every school in Ireland should submit a form stating which language they wish to receive publications in.
• Every school should invite guest speakers to come in and open the minds up of the younger generations.
• Every schoolchild in the country should learn how to cultivate vegetables.
• Expand Ballyfermot College.
• Experienced skilled people with extra time should help teach transition year students.
• Extend the training period for Primary/Secondary teachers to include a one-year job placement in a school.
• Extend the transition year idea into other years of schooling.
• Facilitate greater collaboration between FAS and the third level institutions to offer solutions to new and more diverse clients of FAS
• Facilitate people in identifying and writing goals that are right for them
• FAS courses should be designed to provide work to businesses that are in need of support.
• FAS should make its certified qualifications for online courses accessible to all - employed and unemployed.
• Fee paying schools should pay their own teachers and staff and school-running costs
• Finance the school-building programme on a loan basis.
• Focus more of the school day exercise for children.
• Focus on assisting those in need to be aware of and acquire social and communication skills, further education, adult literacy training, all which optimises individuals’ involvement in community and family life
• Foreign language education should start in primary school from senior infants upwards.
• Formalise and make a National concept of the Buddy system.
• Fund third level fees with student loans.
• Get everyone in the country, young and old, IT-literate.
• Get the unemployed to help out at homework clubs
• Get the unemployed tradesmen to build schools under a Niall Mellon Project-style scheme.
• Have fewer restrictions on the unemployed returning to third level education.
• Have more music in primary schools.
• High quality aptitude testing should be introduced in all schools
• I propose the phasing in of an additional 0.25% educational tax levy.
• Implement a bank lending scheme for third level education which is guaranteed by the government
• Increase funding for distance learning courses.
• Increase primary school hours and get rid of religion and Irish.
• Increase the number of female science/IT graduates by training experienced women who have temporarily left the workforce to raise children.
• Instead of paying couriers to deliver multiple copies of glossy reports and Department of Education publications, the DES should simply email schools their latest reports etc.
• Introduce a standard finishing time for all primary school children.
• Introduce a student loan scheme like in Britain where fees are repaid over a period of 10 or 20 years to the state.
• Introduce French & Spanish immediately as Primary School subjects.
• Introduce government-sponsored evening classes in foreign languages,
• Introduce national military service for school leavers, like many other countries do.