FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COURT GRANTS LEAVE TO APPLY FOR A JUDICIAL REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S CASE

The High Court (of Ireland) has granted an international student at NUI Galway leave to apply for a judicial review of the Government’s decision not to renew her permission to stay in the country unless her four-year-old son is taken out of a State-funded primary school.

Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) Senior Solicitor Hilkka Becker represented the student, Mrs Erin Britton, in the High Court today.

Ms Becker said Mrs Britton’s application argued that the Government has acted unlawfully in this case.

“Mrs Britton came to Ireland to study a two-year masters programme in Medieval Studies at NUI Galway in 2006 and was not told before she came here, or on her arrival, that a condition of her permission to stay was that her son must not attend a State school,” Ms Becker said.

“The first time Mrs Britton heard of this condition was when she tried to renew her permission to stay, at a point when her son was already attending primary school and when she is more than halfway through her masters programme.

“She has found the rules have changed without notice and that the Government is telling her that, in order to stay in Ireland to finish her course – which is costing her €12,000 a year in fees, plus loans to cover her living expenses – she must take her child out of the school where he is happily settled and enrol him in a private school.

“We believe Mrs Britton has a right to expect her permission to stay in Ireland would be renewed on the same terms as it was initially granted in 2006 – with no conditions relating to her son’s education.”

Ms Becker said the Government has acted unfairly because it gave Mrs Britton no notice of its change in policy, she received no decision in writing and was given no opportunity to appeal.

“It is ironic that the day before the UN’s International Migrants’ Day, we are in court seeking leave for a judicial review of a decision which we firmly believe breaches the Irish Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” she said.

“The ICI has consistently lobbied the Government to spell out in law what migrants’ rights to family life are and this case demonstrates that need.

“We would urge the Government to apply the same rules in Ireland as apply in the UK, where a child of an international student is permitted to receive a State education while a parent is studying there, provided the child leaves the country when the parent completes their studies.”

For further information, contact Ruth Evans on +353 87 067 3676.

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Notes to editors

UK Immigration Directorate Instructions state: “The child of a student may therefore receive state education while his parent is studying here but he would be expected to leave with his parent on completion of the parent’s studies.” Chapter 3, section 4.6.

My wife and 4 year old son are living in Galway while I remain in the United States. I was living with them in Ireland last year while attending NUI Galway then moved back to the States a few months ago to complete my Masters in International Affairs in St. Louis, Missouri. Erin, my wife, is in the 2nd year of her 2 year Masters in Medieval Studies programme at NUI Galway while Aidan has been attending Claddagh National School in Galway since August 2007. Aidan excels at school and his teachers are always praising his successes and eagerness to learn. We are all US citizens and Erin is registered with Immigration on an International Student visa while Aidan is registered under her care as well.

Erin’s and Aidan’s one year visas expired 29 November, so she visited the Garda National Immigration Bureau in Galway that day and waited for two and a half hours only to be told the office was closed just as her number was about to be called. She complained to one of the officers about having to bring Aidan back the next day since she was concerned about having to remove him from a second consecutive day of school for the purposes of immigration. The officer assured Erin that he had seen that she had a child and not to worry; it would not be necessary to return with Aidan the next day.

Erin returned the next day, 30 November 2007, to re-register with GNIB. She was asked a series of detailed questions about her situation as was expected, including questions about Aidan and his status. Erin explained that he was enrolled at Claddagh National School in Galway early this past summer and commenced in August. He then attends a paid after school programme at the school everyday as well. The immigration officer explained that since Erin is in Ireland on an International Student visa that Aidan is not allowed to attend National School. The officer then threatened deportation of Aidan unless he was withdrawn from school immediately. As you can imagine, Erin was shocked. How can a 4 year old child, who has a PPS number and legally registered at a National school be deported! Not only that, but Erin was also refused a new registration card even though she is legally allowed to remain in Ireland as a full time Masters student in Medieval Studies (a programme that is unique only to Ireland). She receives US Federal Student loans and private US loans that provide for her entire school fees (unsubsidized) and living expenses. By no means is she nor is Aidan a financial drain to Ireland, if that is in fact the contention of Aidan’s attendance in National school while Erin is a University Student. On the contrary, she is generating a massive financial investment for the Irish economy.

As a result of this threat, Aidan will not be allowed to live fully as a growing student since there are no feasible private schools in the area. Aidan will now be forced to cease learning and socializing with his peers as no equivalent education alternative exists for him in Galway. He is too advanced for crèche since he spent the last year attending a crèche in Galway and was deemed to be well prepared for National school by the staff.

From Article 28 of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:

The child has the right to education; the State has a duty to make
primary education compulsory and free to all and to take measure to
develop different forms of secondary education and to make this
accessible to all children. School discipline should be administered in a
manner consistent with the child’s human dignity.

Every child should be provided an education by the state, anything less is a violation of human rights. My son has demonstrated his ability to succeed in the nurturing environment of his crèche last year and now in Claddagh National School this year. It is unfair to Aidan to suddenly remove him from the stable environment he has been part of since August. The threat of deportation of a 4 year old child is appalling and refusing Erin an International student visa is unjust. Erin and I will do everything we can to bring about awareness of our situation to the organisations responsible and would appreciate your immediate assistance as well.

What can you do?

UPDATE
File a Complaint about GNIB:

Ombudsman for Children’s Office
Millennium House
52-56 Great Strand Street
Dublin 1
IRELAND
oco@oco.ie
+353 1 8656800

Contact:
Immigrant Council of Ireland
2 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Information service: +353 1 674 0200
Administration: +353 1 674 0202
Fax: +353 1 645 8031
info@immigrantcouncil.ie

About the Immigrant Council of Ireland

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) is a national, independent non-governmental organisation that promotes the rights of migrants through information, legal advice, advocacy, lobbying, research and publications, as well as training work.

As I write this there are only 18 minutes left until Shutdown Day, at least here in Ireland where we’re on GMT. Shutdown Day is all about living without your computer for one whole day, so don’t expect any blog posts from me until Sunday at the earliest. This will be very difficult for me since I’m smack dab in the middle of finishing up my gasoline tax research project. Maybe I’ll use this day to just look over my paper and physically make corrections with a red pen. After that, I’ll take my son out to Galway Bay and Salthill Promenade for a bike ride and a mid-day romp at the beach. With any luck, the weather will be like it was today: sunny, light breeze, about 60 degrees…perfect. After that, I think I’ll treat myself to a marathon training run

I’m really on a roll with all these social issues posts lately, huh? I guess spring is a time of renewal, so it’s good to evaluate where you are in life and make positive changes. What are you going to do on Shutdown Day?

Here’s to Shutdown Day, in 4 more minutes…

Yesterday was a big day for social issues. So far I’ve asked you to join World Water Day events to support water awareness, boycott bottled water to fight climate change, and Bum Rush the Chartsto stick it to the recording industry and support indie record labels. Black Lab are great aren’t they?

The Financial Aid Podcast has just released the initial results of Bum Rush the Charts and they look promising. Black Lab’s Mine Again didn’t make the Top 100 on iTunes yesterday, but they certainly had an effect and hopefully caught the attention of the music industry. Finally, proceeds from the affiliate sales commissions plus an additional 50% match from Black Lab will be donated to ScholarshipPoints.com. If you’re a US college student, sign up for a chance to win a scholarship.

I’ve been listening to Black Lab and I really like ‘em. Thanks for letting me brag about making history!

Well, obviously I missed it. World Water Day was yesterday, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to participate.

In 1992, the UN General Assembly designated March 22 as “World Water Day” to draw international attention to the critical lack of clean, safe drinking water worldwide.

According to the site, 1 billion people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water which makes it even easier for me to boycott bottled water. One billion people! This is truly sad. What’s even worse is how many of us spend $1.50 or more on the stuff because it’s convenient and an alternative to soda. I encourage all of you to boycott bottled water and start carrying around a Nalgene bottle or similar. If you must purify it, get a Brita filter pitcher and keep it the fridge.

As I mentioned just because World Water Day was yesterday, doesn’t mean you missed your chance to participate. There are plenty of water walks in the US this Saturday, 24 March (didn’t see any elswhere) or join the Virtual Water Walk. Finally, you can join me and boycott bottled water. I’ve kept my promise since the beginning of February, with just one exception and I’ve been reusing that plastic bottle since. Take the money you will save and give to others so they may have clean drinking water.

It’s bum rush the charts day:

If you believe in the power of new media, on March 22nd, 2007, take 99 cents and 2 minutes of your time to join the revolution and make iTunes “Mine Again”. If you’re a content producer (blogger, podcaster, etc.), we’re asking you to join up with us and help spread the word to your audience. Nothing would prove the power of new media more than showing corporate media that not only can we exceed their reach and match their purchasing power, but that we can also do it AND make a positive difference in the world. If we can succeed with this small example, then there’s no telling what can do next.

The track we’ve chosen is “Mine Again” by the band Black Lab. A band that was dropped from not just one, but two major record labels (Geffen and Sony/Epic) and in the process forced them to fight to get their own music back. We picked them because making them number one, even for just one day, will remind the RIAA record labels of what they turned their backs on - and who they ignore at their peril.

Support independent artists with your wallet today (make sure to buy “Mine Again,” the first track on the album) I just bought mine and listening to it now. It’s a great track, so let’s make “Mine Again” number one on iTunes today.

A twitter friend, baratunde just sent this to me. If you care about saving the planet from irreversible damage, make yourself heard TODAY. Al Gore is testifying to Congress on global warming tomorrow, Wednesday, March 21st. He will hand deliver your message of support for immediate legislation. Click on Hurricane Katrina now and take 2 minutes to fill out the card. Here is my personal message:

The best solutions to reversing global warming are also the simplest: 1) Increase the federal gasoline tax 10 cents per year incrementally over the next 10 years as Dr. N. Gregory Mankiw suggests. You can keep your tax revenue even if you reduce paryoll taxes by the same amount 2) Ban incandescent light bulbs. 3) Invest in public transportation instead of building new roads.

You have to do it today since Mr Gore is testifying to Congress tomorrow.

NASA photo of Hurricane Katrina sea surface temperatures

Why are you still reading? Fill out the card now!

Yesterday was a busy and interesting day. I met with a PhD student on campus and we discussed the idea of shifting from a wealth or money-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. In a nutshell, money is a scarce resource that only a few of us in the world claim a majority stake.

Let’s take a look at an oversimplified example. If one man has, for example, $100 and another man has $0, then the poor man will do what he can to get some of that money, whether that involves work, begging, or stealing. The rich man will do everything he can to prevent giving up any of his money to the poor person. This creates a dichotomy and the rich man will only get richer and the poor man will either gain a small amount of money by means of working, begging, or stealing or else die and be forgotten. There exists a highly accepted theory that amount of education one attains is highly correlated to amount of wealth and thus the more education one has, the higher the wages one receives. Therein lies the conundrum; in order to make money, one must be educated and in order to be educated, one must have money. This nearly inescapable loop makes it impossible for the poor to rise to the level of education of the rich. Wealth accumulation is simply unsustainable.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is not a scarce resource if it is defined as a good. In other words, it is certainly possible for more than one person to know Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The transfer of knowledge, unlike the transfer of money, does not reduce the holder’s wealth. A teacher does not lose knowledge when his or her student learns it. In fact the opposite occurs, in most cases, and that new knowledge is spread throughout a society when the students become teachers themselves. The only thing that happens is that teacher has given up some time to transmit that knowledge to others.

If the poor man in the example cannot afford an education he will always be poor and the rich man will always have the edge. If knowledge were the basis of the economy rather than money there would be a greater balance of wealth and power in the world. This is obviously a very simple example in a two person economy but the central idea is important.

Shifting away from money and toward knowledge may be a just a pipe dream, but it is certainly worth striving to achieve. This discussion was brought about by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project by MIT that I have written about many times before. It is a simple idea perhaps inspired by the old adage: “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day and if you teach him how to fish, he will eat forever.” The project seeks to produce laptops for children in developing nations with poor education for $100 each. The laptop, it is believed, will be a lifetime learning tool, especially when connected to the Internet. A few books costing a similar amount will only teach a few subjects, while networked laptop will give a child unlimited learning opportunities.

The OLPC project is exactly the kind of idea that is necessary for the poor and developing nations in the world need in order to be able to succeed. Short term welfare such as food and medical supplies are still important, but for long term growth, knowledge is the answer.

Please refer to Paul Romer or David Warsh’s book for more information. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.

You may have heard the catchphrase “Web 2.0″ before, but what is it exactly? I don’t believe anyone knows for sure, but this 5 minute video from the Digital Ethnography group is about the best explanation I’ve seen.

Blogging has allowed me to express myself in a unique way to people all over the world in a relatively easy way. I am amazed to see some of the places my readers come from such as Mumbai, Sydney, or Juneau, Alaska. I am still pinpointing a focus for this blog, but on the other hand does it really need a specific focus? In the meantime here’s where I’m at…

My intent with this blog is to connect readers with similar interests to me such as Ireland, economics, environmental policy, to name a few, and create a community with an active dialog of sharing and learning while having a good time. With “Web 2.0″ design elements/features, the world is quickly shrinking place that is connecting people and ideas in amazing new ways. To me, this was the original spirit of the world wide web.

Watch the clip and tell me your thoughts in the comments section after the video…

I just read a CNN article about the U.S. population hitting 300 million tomorrow and I don’t agree with this statement at all:
“America…will continue to be the world’s premiere economy for at least another 40 years.”

Ask anyone outside of the U.S. and they will completely disagree as well. America needs to wake up and change its economic policies concerning trade deficits, budget deficits, oil consumption, and urban sprawl if it wants to stay competitive. Globalization is a dirty word in the U.S. but it is a fact of life.

The price of gasoline in the US is artificially low compared to the rest of the world as a result of taxes. Read this and quit bitching, America:

Thanks for listening to my political rant and have a nice day. Why not try something different and walk or ride your bike or the bus to work or school today?

Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand have EACH ordered a million Linux laptops from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, DesktopLinux.com reports.

It looks like this project is gaining momentum…

read more | digg story

via Digg: “So here’s the idea: Create a carbon tax — a tax on energy calculated based on its carbon content — and use the new revenue to provide offsetting cuts in the income tax, the payroll tax, or both. The whole package should be revenue neutral, meaning that it will not increase or decrease the total amount of revenue the government collects.”
This is an interesting proposal that derserves further review. The major unfortunate problem I see is opposition from Big Energy lobbyists.

read more | digg story

Bill Clinton announced an agreement between schools and the top three soda makers to elminate sugary sodas in America’s schools in hopes of fighting childhood obesity and diabetes.

read more | digg story

What a low blow just to get some face time to demonstrate his overpriced origami project. Nobody at the MIT Media Lab ever claimed the $100 laptop was going to be a consumer device anyway. It’s a project designed to bring computing to the masses, namely children without the means to drop a cool grand on an overstuffed Windows machine.

Digg it…

machined
machinating
shindig
machinated
machinates
Edit…
Ignore all
Add to dictionary

Here’s an interesting use of an IKEA store (not that I would practice it myself) I found on boingboing.net. Some German parents use IKEA as a drop-off babysitter while they run errands and make hair appointments. You can’t beat the 1.50 Euro lunch either!