The Catholic Church has handed over control of just 11 schools despite efforts by the State to increase diversity in the education system.

Education Minister Richard Bruton is preparing to enter a deal with the Christian Brothers that will only reduce what the order owes towards abuse costs if school playing fields are sold.

The taxpayer paid out close to €20m last year in pensions, lump sums, and other retirement benefits to former politicians.

Homemakers have filled more than a quarter of free places on some courses aimed at providing more skilled workers in expanding employment sectors.

After years of cuts, consultation, reports and deliberations, politics has done nothing to stem the third-level funding crisis, writes Education Correspondent Niall Murray 

They decided to devote it all - all of the resources they inherited - to buying every election they possibly could, writes Fergus Finlay

It’s Tuesday night and dotted around the bar is an EU commissioner, a former education minister, the secretary general of a government department as well as a scattering of local and national politicians.

Opposition to the creation of technological universities has come from many quarters over recent years. The role of members of the Higher Education Authority is not to undermine stated government policy, writes Seán Sherlock.         

Kyran Fitzgerald asks if the country’s costly obsession with sending students to college for

Four seats are to be left vacant by Education Minister Richard Bruton on the board of the body responsible for the spending of €1.2bn a year by third-level colleges.

Universities and colleges which train second-level teachers will be required to better regulate the numbers qualifying to teach certain subjects, following criticisms of an historic lack of planning.

The Government is considering a long-term lease, with a nominal rent, for the site of the proposed new National Maternity Hospital.

Two Government ministers have backed plans for an imminent review of the religious patronage of more than a dozen hospitals across the country, after Health Minister Simon Harris publicly confirmed he is planning the move.

Health Minister Simon Harris is keen to begin a review of the ownership and patronage of dozens of hospitals across the country as he feels it is time to settle the wider issue of the Church-State relationship, senior government sources have said.

Health Minister Simon Harris is keen to begin a review of the ownership and patronage of dozens of hospitals across the country as he feels it is time to settle the wider issue of the Church-State relationship, senior government sources have said.

Schools that do more to drive down prices of uniforms and books for parents may get a bigger slice of any increases in Department of Education funding for their own running costs.

A teenager’s detailed portrait of her brother, carefully executed with colouring pencils and white gel pen, has taken the top prize at this year’s Texaco Children’s Art Competition.

Concerns were expressed at Cabinet in 2011 that, if there was an inquiry into Magdalene laundries, it could lead to calls for inquiries into abuses in mother and baby homes, psychiatric institutions, and foster care settings.

Lands owned by the Catholic Church should be given to the Irish people as a “token of its remorse” to those sexually abused in schools, former Labour leader Ruairi Quinn has said.

Allocation of Government funds could see Deis funding dropped

Richard Bruton plans to divest patronage from Catholic primary schools. We’ve been here before and the Church still holds all the cards, writes Michael Clifford.

A significant number of extra schools will get more supports from September under the first major changes to Government efforts, in over a decade, to tackle educational disadvantage.

Primary care centres need to become the place of first resort. They need to be open seven days a week, writes Fergus Finlay

Minister for public service, Ruairí Quinn, objected 30 years ago to proposals for Ireland to sign a European Convention which would allow for the transfer of Irish prisoners held abroad back home because of the existing overcrowding problem in Irish prisons.

Ireland had the second lowest number of public holidays in the EU, and the third lowest in the world, according to Fine Gael's Brian Hayes.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the building of a N20 motorway connecting Cork and Limerick was a priority, but he ruled out any early move due to lack of money.

Ireland aims to take advantage of being the EU’s only English-speaking country in a plan to boost international student numbers by more than 37,000 and generate an extra €520m a year.

Most third-year students could lose 10% in marks in Junior Certificate English next year. Their teachers are in dispute over assessment changes.

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has said it is the responsibility of parents to rear their children rather than taxpayers as he warned against hopes for a reversal of cuts to a back-to-school support payment.

Parents want better local procedures to deal with complaints about teachers, which could prevent the need to hold fitness-to-teach inquiries.

The National Council for Special Education has had no board since the previous 13-member board’s term ended at the end of last year.

Education Minister Richard Bruton faces pressure from all sides as he prepares to push for more efficiencies from cash-strapped colleges in return for more funding from students, taxpayers and employers.

One issue that may concern parents about proposals to govern school admissions by law is that waiting lists could no longer be used to determine who gets into a school. Some of the details involved are set out here.

The campaign by fee-paying and other schools against moves to practically outlaw places being held for children of past pupils has succeeded, as Fianna Fáil plans to support Government plans in this area.

Government plans to scrap a bill to regulate how schools enrol children have led to accusations of wasting years of detailed consultations on new laws.

At the third attempt, Brendan Howlin has become the Labour leader.

Former deputy Labour leader Barry Desmond has backed Brendan Howlin to take over the leadership and warned that Alan Kelly would face “problems” if he secured the position.

Fresh efforts are being made to provide educational choice for more families following the Programme for Government plan for 400 non-religious schools.

We could be looking at the next Jack Yeats, Francis Bacon, or Robert Ballagh if the quality of this year’s Texaco Children’s Art Compeition was anything to go by.

An ousted Labour TD has claimed voters will be given “one of the greatest snubs in history” if his party returns to power with Fine Gael.