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Kerry Education and Training Board’s pioneering Parents Forum

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Kerry Education and Training Board recently held its fourth and final Parents Forum for the 2017/18 school year. Parents attending this forum are representing members from their respective parents councils. The forum was first established in 2006 to promote effective liaison and consultation between schools and parents and to promote the interest of the students in the eight ETB schools.

This year’s agenda covered areas such as the Kerry ETB Strategy, ICT advancements, physical education priorities, mental health awareness, new Junior Cycle curriculum developments and discussions on healthy eating and well-being. Of major interest was the feedback from the first online applied maths curriculum that was piloted in Kerry ETB Schools this year. This involved fifth year students undertaking online classes via Skype on Tuesdays from 6-8pm with professional teaching support delivered during Saturday classes hosted in the IT Tralee. This proposal came from the Parents Forum last year. Ann O’Dwyer, Director of Schools thanked the Parents Forum for suggesting this initiative and for generating new and pioneering ideas.

At the forum Jeremy Wrenn, Schools ICT Support Officer from Kerry ETB, introduced the new Junior Cycle ICT course that is planned for Kerry ETB schools in 2018/19. Its introduction is further proof of Kerry ETB’s commitment to giving it students the most up to date ICT skills that will ensure they are fully equipped with the relevant 21st century educational tools when they leave school after Leaving Certificate. The Parents Forum welcomed this new course and were also offered places on a Technology for Parents course that will be delivered free of charge by Kerry ETB in September.

At the conclusion of the Parents Forum the importance of parents coming together to share their ideas and experiences from their respective parents councils was reiterated, as was the necessity of parents having their voices and opinions heard by the Kerry ETB management.

Rosari O' Connor, Chairperson took the opportunity to sincerely thank David Musgrave (Killarney Community College), Helen O’Brien (Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí) and Cathy O’Donovan (Coláiste na Sceilge) for their outstanding service as their tenures on their parents councils have now come to an end. The agenda for the 2018/19 school was set with the forum looking forward to continuing its great work next year.

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Eight month wait for a driving test in Killarney

A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at […]

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A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney

The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at eight months.

Cllr John O’Donoghue raised the issue at Monday’s full meeting of Kerry County Council.

He proposed that driving instructors should be employed to carry out the final test to reduce the current backlog.

At Monday’s meeting he asked that hat Kerry County Council would write to the Minister for Transport to ask him to consider giving driving instructors temporary powers to issue a temporary Driving Licence/Certificate of Competence to those on the waiting list for tests.

“The wait is currently far too long and the system is in danger of becoming completely overwhelmed,” he said.

“The huge waiting list for young drivers is well documented at this stage. In a case I am familiar with, a young person passed their theory test in January 2022 and he immediately applied for his mandatory 12 driving lessons. When these were completed, he applied for his driving test on the 2nd of December 2022. Some weeks ago, he still had not received an application to apply for his driving test. This wait is placing him and his family under considerable extra cost and stress which is completely unacceptable.”

In the course of his research into the matter Cllr O’Donoghue discovered that the next available date for a driving test in Killarney is May 25, 2024, while Tralee is June 3 2024.

“Bear in mind, these are only the dates on which you receive an invitation to book your test, the test itself will then be an estimated three to five weeks later.

“This is an appalling situation and one which needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency. I am proposing that driving instructors, which presumably are fully trained up on the rules of the road, be granted temporary powers to be allowed to issue temporary driving licences to young people. When the waiting list time has been reduced, I would still propose that these people sit the test as usual, but the current pressure needs to be alleviated as soon as possible. There is precedent as I believe that in the 1970s, a cohort in this country were issued driving licences without having sat a test as the wait time for the test was too long.”

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Ballymac charity vintage run on October 1

The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1. The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac. Registration […]

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The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1.

The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac.

Registration begins at 9:30am and sets off at 11am.

“There will be two separate routes with one for tractors and the other for cars and motorbikes. Proceeds on the day are in aid of Castleisland Day Care Centre and we’ll have plenty of spot prizes to giveaway too in the morning,” said the club’s PRO Kieran Glover.

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