Former Labour leader and outgoing TD Ruairi Quinn has made an emotional plea for his party to fight on, saying they are a lonely tribe of visionaries and have beaten their political foes.

The bottom line is that we need, and will need, a parliament that works, writes Fergus Finlay

NEW legislation on school enrolment consolidates religious authority in our schools and runs contrary to the objectives outlined by the last Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn — a reduction in the level of school patronage by the Catholic Church to something considerably less than the current 90%.

Ruairi Quinn has announced his resignation as Education Minister and as a member of the Cabinet saying that he wants to "clear the path" for the next generation in the Labour party.

Labour's Ruairi Quinn has announced his impending resignation from the Cabinet.

Schools which fail to comply with a new charter for parents and students could face Department of Education intervention, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has said.

The second week of Leaving Certificate 2014 ended with construction studies papers for more than 8,500 students yesterday evening.

Leaving Certificate students got down to business in the morning and needed some quite specific knowledge on many of the questions.

Three years of science education were assessed for 55,000 Junior Certificate students, whose exams filled their morning timetable.

A major review of how Ireland’s colleges and universities are funded has been launched due to concerns over whether the already stretched system can cope with an expected surge in future demand.

The day started and ended with business studies for Junior Certificate students, and there was just a single exam for those who chose the ordinary level test.

The Irish exams for Leaving Certificate students were on the morning timetable and featured some expected personalities.

Some English language schools have abused their status to act as fronts for people seeking work in Ireland, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has warned.

THEY are sick of the sight of us. One of the nonsenses talked about elections and politics is how disillusioned we the people are with our politicians.

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has moved to calm fears over the future of small schools.

A new appeal system for children refused school enrolment is still planned, but Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is to consider concerns raised about his idea to restrict it within schools.

The announcement of €35m for schools to carry out repairs over the summer — right before voting — has been described by Fianna Fáil as electioneering by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

School managers have told Education Minister Ruairí Quinn his plan to replace the Junior Certificate will fail if he does not give schools the time and staffing supports to implement it.

Labour ministers have rallied around leader Eamon Gilmore after a “family row” was prompted by calls for his resignation by the party’s Ireland South MEP, Phil Prendergast.

A row between teachers and Ruairi Quinn over the education minister’s abolition of the Junior Certificate looks set to deepen after he accused their unions of lacking trust in their professionalism.

The damage continual cutbacks to front-line teaching posts, resources and supports are causing to teachers’ mental and physical health must be immediately investigated, a major union has warned.

The loud negative reaction of secondary teachers to his remarks on junior cycle reform was described last night by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn as part and parcel of democracy.

A union representing 16,000 second-level teachers and Institute of Technology lecturers has warned Government to expect a ballot box backlash next month as a direct result of the “misery” that has been inflicted on the sector.

A merger of two of the country’s second-level teaching unions appears to have moved a step closer, after the leaders of both groups said the current separation was “absurd and certainly wasteful” and one voted in favour of entering talks on the deal.

Young teachers are being forced to take up second jobs at night because cuts to their school hours mean they are not paid enough to survive.

The teaching of religion in school is “not the highest thing on the agenda” of primary school teachers who are more concerned about pay and resources.

Primary school teachers have called on the Government to suspend the final phase of the cuts to teaching numbers in smaller schools.

The plight of recently qualified teachers on a different range of reduced pay scales to those of longer-serving colleagues was highlighted by delegates at the ASTI convention.

Higher level Leaving Certificate maths is to become a minimum requirement for people wishing to enter teacher training.

A deal on the gradual restoration of paycuts imposed on more than 2,000 young teachers in 2011 is expected in the coming weeks.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn will use a speech to primary teachers this morning to criticise the pace at which Catholic leaders are putting forward ideas on how schools can be more inclusive of children of different faiths and of no faith.

The slowness of the Catholic Church to offer examples of how schools can avoid children of different or no faiths being excluded during religion class will be criticised by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn in a speech today to primary teachers.

A strong majority of teachers of English do not accept they had enough training to begin covering a new course next autumn as part of Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s Junior Cycle reforms.

The final area of reform promised by Ruairi Quinn was around predictability in Leaving Certificate exams which — along with narrow grade bands mostly sep-arated by just 5% — it had been suggested promotes rote learning and “teaching to the test” in schools instead of focusing on the curriculum.

Major changes to how Leaving Certificate exams are graded, and cuts to numbers of courses offered by colleges from what was available in 2011, will not take effect for another two to three years — at least a year later than first planned.

A new system of Leaving Certificate grades — each 10% apart — is the most likely to be formally proposed to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn soon as part of a plan to ease pressures on students chasing points for college.

The new junior cycle student award cannot be implemented in second-level schools, according to almost nine out of 10 teachers.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has managed to come up with more than €8m for the majority of primary schools previously excluded from a grant scheme to help support book rental services.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has said that he cannot allow teachers' unions to block proposed changes to the Junior Certificate cycle.

Little effect is likely to be felt by students or schools as teachers begin industrial action today in protest at reforms that will see the abolition of the Junior Certificate.

Abuse survivors of Bethany Home have welcomed a Government commitment to review any evidence of State responsibility in the negligent treatment of residents at the facility.

Ruairi Quinn states that the removal of the teaching of the Catholic religion from school will help those parents who hypocritically baptise children for school.

The Government is targeting 44,500 jobs in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector through additional work visas and an increase in the number of graduates feeding into the sector.

THE image of Frank Flannery stalking the corridors of Leinster House wandering in and out of ministers’ offices, having a word in their ear, is one that in many ways defines the problem of lobbying in Irish society.