Tag Archives: Minister Josepha Madigan

A RAPTUROUS welcome greeted Minister for Special Education, Josepha Madigan, as she officially opened the ASD facilities at Scoil na Mainistreach’s in Quin.  The school’s choir and band entertained the Minister for State, before she was presented with mementoes of her visit, including a painting of the scenic East Clare village. The school’s first ASD classroom opened earlier this year. Since then, with the collaboration of the National Council for Special Education (NESC) and a huge level of cooperation from staff, parents and pupils, the school has now increased provision to two classrooms – catering for a total of 12 pupils.  Minister Madigan paid tribute to the entire school team led by Principal Fergal Lynch and Deputy Principal Eleanor Gallagher. She also recalled chairing an online meeting, earlier this year, during which the school’s pupils took part in a debate on vegetarianism. She added that she could see the same “compassion and empathy in action” throughout the school, as it …

THE SEANAD has heard claims of potential health and safety concerns at an East Clare school, if it loses a teacher and has to reduce the number of classroom available to its pupils. The plight of Clooney National School, where pupil numbers are at 73, six short of the 79 needed to retain four teachers, was raised by Senator Timmy Dooley. The Fianna Fáil member made an appeal on behalf of the school on the basis that removing a teacher would mean 73 children would have to be taught in three classrooms instead of four, making the application of pandemic health guidelines more difficult. Senator Dooley added that small schools deserved greater protections in order to support the rejuvenation of rural Ireland. “At a time when we are trying to keep children apart we are cramming them into three rooms as opposed to four, which does not make sense,” Senator Dooley told Minister of State Josepha Madigan, who addressed the …