|
VEC Move to identify child abuse in class BY TOM KELLY A MOVE is being initiated by Mayo Vocational Education Committee to adopt a defined policy on dealing with allegations of child abuse. Fears have been expressed that the failure of teaching staff to identify problems among second level students at an early stage was 'negligent.' Mr. Joe Langan, chief executive officer, said it was vital the authority 'got something on the wall' to deal with issues of abuse. He explained: "Nobody should be left without proper procedures any more. We cannot delay on this matter." Mr. Padraig Cosgrove, a member of the committee, said teachers should be made aware of emotional abuse as well as physical and sexual abuse. "A lot of teachers may not understand the trauma caused to school-going children by their parents splitting up. Yet they are being asked to compete on the same level as students with a much different home environment. "It appears that sexual abuse is gung-ho as far as the national media is concerned. But we should not turn our eyes to the depravity being indulged in by some parents under the influence of alcohol. "We are turning a deaf ear on these matters, but they do effect students in a very serious way." Mr. Johnny Mee welcomed moves by the committee to protect students from abuse of any nature. "I witnessed a lot of abuse by teachers of students during my school years. These teachers were incapable of teaching." Exam girls "fagged out" by bad habit IF TEENAGE girls are "fagged out" at important exam time there could be a reason - too many of them are smoking. Achill based second-level teacher, Pat Kilbane says he is horrified by the extent the smoking habit has caught on amongst young girls. He told a meeting of the Western Health Board on Monday he had been observing carefully during the recent examinations and had decided that 80 per cent of female students must have taken up the smoking habit. "At the same time there is a corresponding decrease in the number of young girls smoking", Mr. Kilbane, a member ofMayo County Council, stated. At the Health Board meeting, Councillor Kilbane said Health Promotion efforts should be specially targeted at young people. He called for a Study to determine why so many teenagers- particularly girls- had started the destructive smoking habit. Probe into child abuse claims AN INVESTIGATION has begun into new allegations of past abuse of children in residential care with the Western Health Board. The matter was referred to briefly by Board CEO , Dr. Sheelah Ryan at a meeting on Monday. Dr. Ryan said that as soon as the situation allows, Board members will be fully briefed on the matter. Dr. Ryan says she wouldn't reveal the location of the alleged offences but confirmed that Gardai had been called in to help in the investigation. Charlestown cash reward to pinpoint killers By TOM SHIEL A £10,000 reward has been offered by the Charlestown business community for information which might lead to the detention of a gang who robbed, tied up and left an 82-years man to die. The body of Mr. Eddie Fitzmaurice was found by neighbours tied to a chair, six days after which Gardai believe, his home at Bellaghy had been broken into on May 1. A post mortem examination found that draper Mr. Fitzmaurice, had died from hypothermia. Chief Supt. John Carey who is heading the investigation has issued a fresh appeal for information into the incident. The time of the attack, he believed, was between 9p.m. on Friday May 1 and 7a.m. on Saturday. Local business men concerned with the lack of progress in the case have come up with the cash reward in the hope getting a beak through. Chief Supt. Carey said twenty officers were still on the case and to date they had interviewed 177 suspects. They had also completed about 1,200 questionnaires. Local businessman Mr. Paddy Colleran said the reward was being offered by people who were angry, annoyed and shocked over the terrible death. Any information to Swinford Garda station on 094-51115. A Tribute to Paul O'Dwyer The chairman of Board of Directors of Knock Airport and a member of the management committee of the O'Dwyer Cheshire Home, Mr. Cathal Duffy has paid tribute to the memory of Paul O'Dwyer. He said: " I first met Paul O'Dwyer in the mid 1960's. I always had great respect and admiration for him, and all he stood for. He was breed from Nationalism and Independence. He provided the inspiration to those of us who had the pleasure and privilege of working with him in helping to establish, fund and run the O'Dwyer Cheshire Home in Bohola. I know how dear this project was to Paul's heart, that was in 1972 the home was completed four years later. "I have been a member of the management board of the O'Dwyer Cheshire Home since that time. I am also a trustee of the O'Dwyer Forestry Foundation. In 1989 Paul invited me out to Pontoon one Sunday afternoon, he had this wonderful idea of a fund raising project 'to plant a tree for the disabled in Ireland'. "Four days later David Waters and myself met the Directors of Greenbelt forestry on Longford and the rest is history. Paul raised £532,000 in the United States for this project and with grants from the EEC we planted 640 acres of trees in counties Mayo - Leitrim - Roscommon - and Galway. "It was to secure the future of the O'Dwyer Cheshire Home in perpetuity that Paul considered this major investment in forestry. In two decades time it will be worth more than five million pounds, and this on-going source of revenue should secure the continuity of the O'Dwyer homestead in Bohola as a haven for the physically disabled people of this region. "Paul was a distinguished lawyer, a civil rights campaigner, he was elected President of New York City Council and in more recent time was appointed New York City Council delegate to the United Nations. Paul carried the family banner to the heights of one of the greatest cities in the world - New York. But even in the moment of his greatest triumph when elected President of New York City Council, he remembered he was first and always an O'Dwyer from Bohola. Proud of his own place and proud of his own people. Paul was a true and loyal son of County Mayo "Ar Dheis De Go raibh a anam Dilis."
|
