TV AND RADIO channels are set to launch a major programming plan next week to assist students during level five restrictions on school attendance.
The RTE programming begins next Monday, 11 January, and will see not just programming available for children but also additional resources on RTE.ie.
Dee Forbes, RTE Director General made the announcement yesterday and said that the expanded offering from the State broadcaster would help parents as well as kids.
“We are pleased to expand RTÉ’s educational programming for children and students as they continue to learn remotely. Our aim is to assist parents, children and educators by ensuring that all children and students can access curriculum-based learning, and complementary content, through our broadcasts and digital channels.
“We will also be offering opportunities to hear from parents, educators and students on Radio1 and 2FM with new slots and shows in the weeks ahead.”
RTÉ’s Home School Hub and After School Hub will make a return to RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and will provide three hours of television daily, with a mix of new material and previously aired shows, offering a helping hand to parents.
The show, which will be again presented by three four teachers will go out on RTÉ2 between 10am and noon. RTE said that the show was warmly received when first aired last March.
Everyday at 3.20pm After School Hub will re-show its daily activities, ranging from music lessons to science experiments, dance classes, art and crafts, and books and culture.
An Irish Sign Language version of the programme will air on RTÉjr on weekdays at 1pm and an ISL programme, After School Hub Best Bits, airs on Saturday and Sundays at 6.05pm on RTÉjr from 16 January. All ISL versions of Home School Hub are also available on RTÉ Player.
On RTÉ2’s news2day at 4.20pm, younger viewers will also receive updates on the day’s news, presented by Aisling Moloney and Mícheál Ó Scannáíl.
The radio programming will happen from next Tuesday with a new multi-platform programme series called LC 21 with Carl Mullan, which will run Monday to Thursday from 7pm to 8pm for three weeks on 2FM.
The show will create a community for students and will deal with study planning, with advice on looking after themselves over the next few months, and how to focus on what they can control, an RTE spokeswoman said.
On RTÉ Radio 1′s Drivetime, each Tuesday and Wednesday at 6.30pm, Evelyn O’Rourke will present the Drivetime Study Hub, an interactive half-hour of advice and support for second-level students, especially those preparing for the State Examinations.
It is hoped that the disruption for Leaving Certificate students will be eased as teachers take students, step-by-step, through the key Leaving Certificate subjects and exam papers.
On RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta there will be a regular slot on Tús Áite each week when Fachtna Ó Drisceoil will speak to various guests about the challenges they are facing at the moment and how they are dealing with home schooling.
On next Tuesday the all-new DreamSpace TV for secondary schools starts on RTÉ.ie/learn. With six episodes, aimed at students aged 12-18, it brings students on a STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Maths) learning journey with a focus on computational thinking, creativity and problem-solving.
For English students in both the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations there will be access to various Shakespeare productions.
Meanwhile, over on, TG4 there Irish language broadcaster will launch a new series of Cúla4 ar Scoil on 18 January.
The series will air from Monday to Thursday at 10am and will be repeated at 4pm each day.
Cúla4 ar Scoil was commissioned by TG4 during the first lockdown period in April to support parents and teachers who are learning from home while schools were closed. The series caters for primary school children who attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools.
Catherine Martin TD, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD said her department had provided an additional €1.9m in Covid-19 funding.
“I am pleased that TG4 has decided to put this programming in place again during the current restrictions.
“TG4 is once again responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19 - putting in place programming for their viewers which is of outmost importance, and doing so in a safe environment. I was also pleased that I was able to secure an additional funding of €3.5 million to TG4 in Budget 2021 which will bring their total allocation to over €40.7 million to help them in their overall delivery of their strategy.”
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