Summary of ideas submitted in the Education category…

• Introduce new subjects in second level education in areas like risk management, innovation, and social policy.
• Introduce one-year education programmes in third level Institutions. Scrap the 6-week short courses proposed for FAS.
• Introduce wood work and ceramic courses in all schools.
• IT training companies should be “zero rated” for VAT.
• Junior and Senior Infants teachers should each children with learning difficulties for one hour a day.
• Junior Infants teachers should be redeployed to teach the language support programme as they finish school at 2pm
• Launch a ‘Parents’ Loan Scheme’ whereby parents (or any citizen) lends the government the money needed to truly revolutionise our school system
• Launch a campaign to allow teenagers follow their passions or dreams
• Launch a campaign to make Ireland a global centre for the people wishing to learn English.
• Launch a campaign to make Ireland a world leader in TEFL(Teaching English as a Foreign Language).
• Launch a Computers for Irish Schools (CFIS) programme to encourage companies. state agencies etc to donate old IT equipment to schools.
• Launch a National Education Bond for investors.
• Launch a programme in third level institutions that allows volunteer researchers to provide lectures on whatever general topics they feel comfortable with to interested audiences.
• Launch a school-twinning scheme to share resources.
• Launch after-school clubs for homework and education.
• Launch an extensive Internship Programme paid for by the Dept of Social Welfare.
• Launch an innovation competition aimed at science and engineering research postgraduates.
• Launch conversion courses for unemployed construction professionals.
• Let aspiring teachers into schools on a voluntary level to get some work experience with real teachers.
• Let’s utilise the wisdom of the elders and let them go into schools and teach the children and teenagers how to cook, sew, construct etc.
• Levy an additional 1.5% education tax on companies paying corporate tax.
• Link unemployment allowance to reskilling. Provide grant aid for research
• Little schools which would give night/grind classes to exam student
• Look at opening up higher level education via non-traditional means such as e-learning. Launch modules for continuing professional development.
• Make Irish optional for those who want to learn it. Invest in technology instead
• Make personal development/entrepreneurial thinking a compulsory subject.
• Make the science and technology subjects compulsory Leaving Cert subjects.
• Make the visa process more flexible for Chinese students wishing to pursue their higher education in Ireland.
• Make Transition year compulsory.
• Manufacture all school uniforms in Ireland.
• Merge university departments and re-deploy the staff
• Modules in third level education could be made available to unemployed professionals
• More emphasis should be put on science from an earlier stage in school. Also children chose subjects for the Junior Cert at the age of 12 and this choice affects what they can study in college - this practice needs to be addressed.
• More Irish students should be trained to meet specific skills shortages or prepare them to pursue career opportunities abroad.
• No school should receive funding, unless and until, they submit a certified set of accounts to the Department for the previous year.