What the University is all about: Learning Education.

I’m back to the normal after a short visit from Norway during the weekend and did celebrate my regained independence by quite spontaneous drop by a political meeting hosted by Brian Hayes, a Fine Gael TD, from Dublin South West who, as most of the Fine Gaels at present time, did what he could to promote himself as a man of the people (Dublin South West are…not like Donnybrook or Belfield, or any other part of D4), and did also make it clear that “either you are a Communist, Socialist, Republican, Nationalist or Christian Democrat you should know that the only major possibility for redistribution in the society are by free education” and that “education are a public responsibility”. That’s heavy words from a representative from a right wing party, especially after describing the Irish School System as “Stalinistic”. Quite a liberal chap that really seeks consensus, especially because he’s the Christ Democrat as referred to above, and it is quite clear that Sinn Féin are the Nationalist, and the Republicans, but Finna Fáil isn’t anything like the socialists and communists he describes them as. Socialists/Communists that cuts the public sector to the bone, listen to the Church in matters of the European Union and rather steals the Health card for those over 70, rather increase the taxation on regular income? Once again, it is this little point named perspectives. Further are Fine Gael quite frustrated by the high number of teachers per pupil, the lack of funding to science, the lack of interest in Maths and physics, the massive administration at the seven universities, want more IT in the education and are not to fund of the quality of the teachers education either. Their answer is 1) increase the spending to a Scandinavian level and 2) formation of a new department of Higher Education. I don’t know, it is something that sounds a bit familiar. New department: better teachers; more teachers; more Mathematics…Djupedal? Solhjell? Aasland? Clemet? Anyone with a new, original policy? And by the way –just for the record- the Norwegian School do in fact crush the Irish. We got internet: and are not segregated across gender or religion.

Speaking about religion: the Republic have after the last Budget turned British anno the 1960s. The system is easy: Protestants enlists to private Protestant Schools and Catholics to the free schools were the Church is responsible. Because of the Irish history this haven’t been any problem because of the traditional upper class in Ireland have been Protestants, and never actually felt any real need of mingling with lower level of the society aka the Catholics. However, 40-50 years later this divide is nearly gone and I can’t really see the difference between a Pro-Irish and a Cath-Irsh. Anyway. These schools, who mostly are the only one available for Protestants, have in the recent decades been treated like other public fee-practicing schools, but in addition received a proportionally large part of a national Service Support grant, because the schools mostly are boarding schools and more expensive to run than the regular one, who by now every financial support from the State has be withdrawn. This leaves the Protestant part of the students/pupils few alternatives to expensive private schools, a declining quality on their remaining schools and rather limited rights on support from the Public. Guess Finna Fáil will get a hell lot to explain and prove that they won’t act like a occupational power if they want the reunification, sorry, don’t want to be unconstitutional…broaden the scope and the depth in the cooperation with the Northern part of the Island. And scary enough: Sinn Féin are remarkable silent even it is less then a month since they proclaimed the importance of free education for ever one.