Students Representing Students
At ISSU we promote active citizenship and empowerment of student voice. We feel that is crucially important that Young People have a say in their education and in issues that affect them. We can and will influence chance. Second-Level Students' are at the heart of ISSU and their interests' is the ground beneath ISSU stands. Your voice is ISSU's voice. For students - by students.Contact the ISSU team: studentvoice@issu.ieHave your say. Step up. Infulence change - don't wait around for someone else to do it. Student voice at it's best
Student Voice is ALIVE. Student Voice is REAL. Student Voice is ISSU.
"Your voice - your right, not citizens in waiting"
ISSU warmly welcomes new Minister
ISSU warmly welcomes the appointment of Tánaiste Mary Coughlan as Minister for Education and Skills. She takes office at an exciting and challenging time for the education sector, no doubt she will bring her a sense of enthusiasm and purpose to her new portfolio. We look forward to working with Minister Coughlan in her new Department.
You can count on ISSU
Embrace your voice and embark on a journey of change with ISSU. Remember ISSU is…
- Independent
- Trusted
- Reliable
First and foremost, ISSU is here for you. We’ve got your back. We strive for the active, real and democratic participation of second-level students in our education system and in society, in general. Our generation tends to get a lot of negative media attention and we’re now branded "ashes" of the once all mighty ‘Celtic Tiger’. We, the so called ‘celtic tiger cubs’, face the challenges of a modern world – challenges that are not even know yet. We are being educated for jobs that don’t yet exist, entrusted with the debt of a decade of selfish greed – but we can’t voice our concerns?We don’t tell you what you want us to say. We have our own voice.ISSU brings about real change. Now is your time to infulence it. "Become a leader - not a follower"[pro-player width='530' height='253' type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC6N0qIf4eM[/pro-player][pro-player width='530' height='253' type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89vz7tfN-k[/pro-player]
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2010
Bain sult as Seachtain na Gaeilge ó 5-17 Márta, agus iarracht a dhéanamh chun iarracht teacht ar na "cupla focail ". Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam! "Croí na Teanga, tusa".Ná déan dearmad gur féidir leat dul i dteagmháil le AMLIB (Aontas na Mac Léinn Iar Bunscoile) i nGaeilge más mian leat ag aon am. Déanaimid iarracht a dhéanamh ar ár suíomh gréasáin inrochtana trí mheán na Gaeilge a luaithe chomh maith le gach ár cáipéisí polasaí. Féach ar an spás seo ...Enjoy "Irish Week" from March 5th to 17th, and try and make an effort to find those "few words". Remember a country without a language, is a country without a soul. "The heart of the language , it's you"Remember you can contact ISSU in Irish if you want at any time. We endeavour to make our website accessible through Irish soon as well as all our policy documents. Watch this space...[pro-player width='530' height='253' type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li2pVrFF7oU[/pro-player][pro-player width='530' height='253' type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_dm8YYOxUo[/pro-player]
“Times change, let’s move with them. We’re ready are you?”
Irish Second-Level Students’ Union: PRESS STATEMENT The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union welcomes the decision made by Minister O’Keeffe to have a ‘profile analysis’ of grades conducted following concerns regarding the potential ‘dumbing down’ of Irish education standards.ISSU believes that it is of the utmost importance that the credibility of the Irish education system be protected before it affects the ability of our Leaving Certificate students to progress to third level education in an academic facility abroad or the ability of our university graduates to pursue international job opportunities.However ISSU believes that the increase by 500 per cent in the number of students obtaining the ‘perfect Leaving Cert’ cannot simply be put down to ‘grade inflation’. Improvements in ICT and most notably the ease at which students can access information and additional learning resources online as well as the availability of grinds schools have undoubtedly played a major role in the increase in higher grades at Leaving Cert level. ISSU feels that the bell curve formula applied to Leaving Cert results should be made more transparent and accessible to help ensure continuity of results from year to year.Speaking today a spokesperson from ISSU said “Time spent investigating ‘inflation’ of grades is time wasted, as it is obvious that efforts to dumb down the Leaving Certificate have been made for many years now, most notably in the areas of Maths and Science – the most recent being Project Maths. Our State Examinations, Syllabi, and Curriculum need a dramatic overhaul; subject by subject feeding into a more modern examination structure. The Junior and Leaving Certificate exams are old fashioned, out dated and a waste of time and resources. Times change, the world changes but our examinations stay the same? Surely this doesn’t add up! We’ve spend enough time chiselling away at subjects in an attempt to make them more attractive and appear easier. Let’s face facts; the Leaving Certificate doesn’t prepare you for college or life outside of education – and as a result the transition to more ‘independent’ learning at third level becomes a difficult transition for some students. We need to encourage more creative and dynamic learning at second-level, the ability to rote-learn a paragraph isn’t a fundamental life-skill.”