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Proposed changes to Irish Leaving Certificate

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Proposed changes to Irish Leaving Certificate

Leaving Cert students should be assessed on a staggered basis over two years instead of facing a single set of summer exams, according to groups consulted as part of an official review of the senior cycle.

The proposal is one of a series that, if agreed, would amount to the biggest changes in the Leaving Cert in half a century.

The findings are contained in consultations with more than 2,500 students and hundreds of parents and teachers across 41 schools as part of a review of the senior cycle by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.

The proposals will feed into a report to Minister for Education Joe McHugh later this year with proposals for reforming the senior cycle.

Sources say a consensus has emerged across schools, parents and students that the structure of senior cycle should be made more flexible, with exams spaced out and a much broader array of assessment methods such as projects, teamwork and portfolios.

Schools, students and parents agree the current system is “too academic” and should offer more vocational and technical pathways.

Full article can be found on the Irish Time website.

Surveys-show-that-surveys-never-lie

Trinity joins universities that give asylum seekers and refugees free tuition

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Trinity joins universities that give asylum
seekers and refugees free tuition

Trinity College Dublin is the latest Irish university to offer free fees and other supports to students living in direct provision to help them pursue third-level education.
The university’s academic council has approved four four-year scholarships, for each of the next four years, for asylum seekers and refugees.

As well as free fees, they will receive a €1,500 a year, a laptop and free meals. It follows similar lines to what is on offer in universities with University of Sanctuary status in recognition of their efforts to make higher education more accessible to people living in direct provision.
Without such initiatives, asylum seekers and refugees are treated as “international students” and would be liable for fees, well beyond even the €3,000 a year paid by Irish and other EU students, while the additional supports make the difference between being able to attend college and not.

Full article can be read on the Irish Independent by clicking here.

Surveys-show-that-surveys-never-lie

New Zealand government scraps in-study work rights review

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New Zealand government scraps
in-study work rights review

The New Zealand government has scrapped plans to change in-study work rights for international students after receiving advice from the international education sector as part of a wider migrant worker exploitation review, The PIE News can reveal.
Made shortly before the end of 2018, the decision will see in-study work rights remain at their current levels and concludes changes to overseas student work rights for the time being after the government overhauled post-study rights the same year.
Immigration minister Iain Lees-Galloway confirmed to The PIEplans to change the work rights of students while they study had been postponed.
“The government plans to carefully monitor the effects of the November changes to post-study work rights before deciding whether any further action is necessary,” Lees-Galloway explained.

Full article available from Pie News.

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Countries that help working class students get into university have happier citizens

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Countries that help working class students get into university have happier citizens

‘INCLUSIVE’ EDUCATIONAL POLICIES that help working class students access higher education, such as lowering the cost of private education, act to reduce the ‘happiness gap’ between the rich and poor, according to a new study.
Other such policies include delaying streaming children according to their ability until they are older and increasing the intake of universities so that more students can attend.
Research shows that the more educated people are, the happier they tend to be, according to the authors.
They note that it is, unfortunately, also the case that children from privileged, wealthy backgrounds tend to do better at school and are more likely to go to university than children from poorer working class backgrounds.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education, shows that this doesn’t have to be the case, and that the link between social class and happiness can be moderated by educational policies that offer more opportunities to disadvantaged children.

Click here to read the full article on The Journal.

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Study finds that university rankings don’t really matter to international students

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Study finds that university rankings don’t
really matter to international students

University and programme rankings are supposedly the best way to find out whether a particular course or institution is right for you.
However, a study by Education.com has found that international students consider other aspects when deciding which university to attend.
According to the report, titled International Higher Education Report: Student Trends, “The rankings and reputation of the school is dropping in importance for prospective students, with teaching quality and cost of living valued respectively 45% and 118% more highly than by current student.
The report was divided into student trends from different regions such as Northern America, Western Europe, Northern Europe and Southeast Asia, but this particular trend was a common factor when surveying international students all over the world.o fu
The report was divided into student trends from different regions such as Northern America, Western Europe, Northern Europe and Southeast Asia, but this particular trend was a common factor when surveying international students all over the world.

To read the full article, visit the Study International website.

Surveys-show-that-surveys-never-lie

Universities ignoring own English standards for financial gain

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Universities ignoring own English standards
for financial gain

Australian universities have been waiving their own English entry standards in a bid to admit more high-paying international students.
Some universities have waived English requirements for international studentsThe body representing education agents in India says international students should take an independent English test. Academics at some universities say they are seeing increasing numbers of academic misconduct cases in some courses.

It comes as academics have told the ABC’s Four Corners program that they are seeing record numbers of academic misconduct cases and increasing numbers of international students who are struggling.
Academics have shared stories of foreign students using phone apps to translate university lectures and students in postgraduate IT courses who were unsure how to use a computer or a USB drive.

Under changes to streamline the student visa system in 2016, the Federal Government gave universities greater responsibility to determine whether students from some countries were genuine temporary entrants to Australia, and to ensure their English ability was satisfactory.
To read the full article, visit ABC Australia’s news website.
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Information about the Immigration in Ireland

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Information about the Immigration in Ireland

When arriving in Ireland
  • Immigration Officer at the port of entry will grant you a period of leave on your passport for you to remain in Ireland.
  • You cannot remain in Ireland beyond the period of leave granted by the Immigration Officer.
  • You will be required to register in a Registration Office before your period of leave expires and obtain a residence permit.
At the Registration Office
Documents required for registering
  • Passport.
  • Original acceptance letter from the college/university confirming that you have been accepted and enrolled in the course .
  • Proof that you have paid the college/university fees if applicableProof of scholarship funding if appropriate > Please check with the Registration Office and the INIS website at www.inis.gov.ie if you are required to submit any other documents.
  • Registration is done only after you have enrolled on your course in Ireland > If you are studying in Dublin, you will register in Dublin. If you are studying outside of Dublin, you will need to go to the nearest Registration Office to where you live.
  • When you register, you are registering that you have permission to stay in Ireland to study for longer than 90 days.
  • Immigration Officer will record your details. This includes your fingerprints, photo of you.
  • The officer will collect a Registration fee of €300 > You can pay by bank giro. The Dublin Registration Office and other larger Registration Offices can take credit cards or debit cards).
  • Officer will – confirm your details and ask for electronically sign your fingerprints to confirm the details.
  • If the Officer is satisfied with your documents and your reasons for remaining in Ireland, the Officer will stamp your passport to grant you immigration permission to stay in Ireland.
  • The Officer will then register you and prepare to issue you with a registration certificate called an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) > If you register in Dublin your IRP will be sent to you by post.If you register outside of Dublin, the Officer will arrange a date/time for you to return to the Registration Office to collect your IRP).
The IRP indicates that your permission to stay in Ireland has been registered and the type of permission you have.
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UK work visa for foreign graduates to be extended by 2 years – Fact sheet for India

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UK work visa for foreign graduates to be extended by 2 years - Fact sheet for India

UK Graduate Immigration Route–India Factsheet
On 11 September 2019 the UK Government announced the creation of a new graduate immigration route. This document provides a summary of the key points of this announcement for our partners, stakeholders and customers within India
Statistics
  • In the year ending June 2019, almost 22,000 Indian students successfully obtained a
  • Tier 4 study visa – 42% higher than the 15,000 who did so in the previous year.
  • From 11,700 in the year June 2017 the number grew to 22,000 in the year ending June 2019.
  • 96% of Indians who applied for a Tier 4 study visa in the last year were successful.
  • Overall, over 610,000 Indian nationals were granted a UK visa last year –over 1 in 5 of all visas.
Key Points
1. The graduate route will provide an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay and work in the UK at any skill level for two years. Graduates will also be able to switch into skilled workonce they have found a suitable job.
2. The graduate immigration route will be open to international students who have completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at an institution with a track record of compliance with the Home Office’s immigration rules. Successful applicants on this route will be able to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK for a maximum period of two years.
3. It is expected that students entering the UK in the 2020-21 academic year intake will be eligible for this route. This route was announced in September 2019 to ensure that universities, stakeholders and customers preparing for the next academic year were aware of this change and could feature this as part of their plans.
4. The visa will be two years long and would be a separate visa, requiring a new application (including payment of a visa fee) and payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge. The exact visa fee will be set out in due course.
5. The route is non-extendable and does not count towards settlement. However, graduates who find an appropriate job and meet the requirements will be able to switch into skilled work, which is a route to settlement.
6. Those who graduate and whose leave expires before the route is introduced will not be eligible for it, however, most of these students will have had no expectation of benefitting from such a route when they applied to study in the UK.