Designed to inspire the region’s young minds, the event featured a diverse line-up of speakers from sport, business, and entrepreneurship.

Education minister Helen McEntee explained that a range of measures to tackle school absenteeism were introduced in May of this year.

This year’s campaign has been described by organisers as the biggest to date, with visits set on October 22, 23, and 24 across Kinsale Community School, Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí, Nagle Community College, Edmund Rice College, Scoil Mhuire College Cork, and Coláiste Eamann Rís.

Given that the budget is just around the corner, we visited a ‘school around the corner’ to get the perspective of primary school pupils in Cork.

Some schools now cannot avail of the programme because of new procurement rules relating to health and safety.

Through his work with the Cork Life Centre, Mr O’Leary, who had been living for more than four years with terminal cancer, made life immeasurably better for hundreds of young Cork people failed by Ireland’s mainstream education system.

The Nature Hero Awards aim to create an educational space that nurtures a love for nature, develops a knowledge of biodiversity and encourages action to help development at grassroots level.

In Cork secondary schools, days lost increased from 8% in 2019-20 to 11.8% in 2023-24, which is higher than any other year in the five-year period. The figures show 21% of Cork students missed more than 20 days in 2023-24 — up from the 8% recorded in 2019-20.

A number of Cork  TDs have highlighted situations in their respective constituencies, with one TD describing the school transport system a s being "spectacularly haphazard and mercilessly rigid”.

The new farm safety awareness initiative will also provide guidance to teachers in educating students about the potential dangers associated with farming and agriculture.

All children offered a place in East Cork Community Special School for the first time this coming school year are still awaiting a start date, including Leanne Thompson’s five-year-old son, Eldon.

Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny said the new National Council for Special Education guidelines were “deeply concerning”.

“The Bus Éireann School Transport team is working tirelessly to secure transport for the routes in question," a spokesperson said.

Now in its 27th year, Eco-Unesco’s YEA celebrates and supports youth-led projects that address some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

The earlier timeline has been introduced to provide more time for the establishment of new special classes and additional special school capacity, thereby providing parents with clarity at an earlier stage on new special class and special school provision for their children.

“When you have lived experience as a parent, you understand how problematic the whole system is,” said the councillor.

Frances Byrne, Early Childhood Ireland director of policy, said: “Early-years educators play a critical role in young children’s development, yet their pay and conditions tell a completely different story.”

Ireland is at the bottom of an international league table for government expenditure on second-level education as a proportion of GDP, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report published on Tuesday found.

Councillor Fergal Dennehy will call to more than 130 schools across the city in the coming weeks, meeting thousands of children and staff, in a tradition begun in 1920 by Terence MacSwiney.

However, she warned: "If Fórsa aren’t happy with what they’re offering, we have no bother going back out again.”

Education minister Helen McEntee described the development as “breakthrough” following a “week of intense engagement” between her department and the Forsa union.

New regulations many schools will not be able to gives pupils a hot lunch every day. 

Sinn Féin Cork South Central TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has said that savings from the free schoolbooks’ scheme are being “swallowed up by digital devices and increased voluntary contributions”.

Cork South West TD and Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said the school meals programme had promised fairness, but had instead unravelled into a policy “with more holes than help”, leaving smaller schools at risk of losing out.

The dispute hinges on the fact that school secretaries and caretakers are not entitled to public service pensions and other entitlements, but rather, when they retire, must rely on a State pension.

Their industrial action began as thousands of schools prepare for the start of the new academic year.

Neasa Ormonde, whose 10-year-old son Jack is autistic, is a founder member of Bridging The Gap, a group made up of the parents of four autistic children.

Noreen O’Callaghan, who has been secretary at Watergrasshill National School for the past 24 years said she was writing a note apologising to the parents of children starting in her school for not being there to welcome them.

Independent councillor Peter O’Donoghue is calling for the education minister, Helen McEntee to now introduce regulations which would ensure that all schools, both primary and post primary, remain closed for the summer months of July and August.

The wait was finally over for more than 7,000 students across Cork this morning as they received their Leaving Certificate results. 

The initiative introduces pupils to the workings of the European Union and promotes a greater understanding of European democracy, languages, and cultures.

7,007 Cork students are preparing to get the results of their Leaving Certificate tomorrow

Mr Moynihan, whose remit includes school transport in the Department of Education and Youth, has been engaging with officials in Bus Éireann.

Around €4.2m in funding will be provided to ensure that 25,000 children across Ireland receive a nutritious meal and learn about nutrition, while attending early learning and care services.

John Byrne, a Cork ASTI standing committee representative and a teacher at Árdscoil Uí Urmoltaigh in Bandon, said that the survey and historical surveys “make for pretty grim reading”.

Currently they are not allowed benefits such as leave for bereavement or illness, which their other school colleagues have.

Labour’s education spokesperson, Cork TD Eoghan Kenny, said new data from the Irish League of Credit Unions, which shows that parents are spending €1,450 per primary pupil and €1,560 per secondary student, is shocking.

The €16m, 4,600sq m extension, which is being funded by the Department of Education, will provide 25 classrooms.

St Vincent de Paul (SVP) Cork regional co-ordinator Cormac O’Sullivan said that back-to-school season is very busy for them.

It comes as figures show there were nearly 100 unfilled secondary teacher jobs last year.

Owen Barron, aged 17, who is a student at Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Bishopstown, was among six Irish students who travelled to the Sunshine Coast.

The announcement comes after ongoing engagement between Cork North West Fine Gael TD John Paul O’Shea and the Department of Education in recent months.

A local TD said it is absolutely disgraceful in this country that families are taking out loans just to afford basic education costs.

Youghal custodian of the roads Ger Gleeson has been named Ireland’s best lollipop man. He tells CHRIS DUNNE he was “blown away” by the award, voted for by the community

Overall, 412 schools are in the programme. Almost 15% are located on “higher-speed rural roads”, where speed limits of 80km/h or 100km/h were in place.

Last week, new national guidance was issued to schools on restricting mobile phone use in schools. 

The competition, which received entries from all over the country, was run in partnership with Healthy Ireland and the National Cancer Control Programme.

Aaron Wolfe, the principal of Coláiste Éamann Rís, said the phone pouch issues 'is a distraction from the actual problems existing in education or for young people in general'.

This once-off payment helps families cover the rising cost of essential school items like uniforms and shoes. 

The Taoiseach was treated to performances full of song and dance by the students, while the event also included speeches from Mr Martin and former students of the school.