Michael Conaghan (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In the past, planning for future skills necessary to the economy was an easy task. When government invested in skills in the past, it got a lifetime of use out of that skill set. However, it has all changed and the pendulum has swung in the other direction. To determine the provision of skills in five years' time is almost a guessing game, such is the fickle nature of this area.

We should pay more attention to generic skills as a base skill set for a constantly changing economic landscape and the skills demands this makes. Personal creativity is one of these generic skill sets. One cannot teach creativity but people can discover it. The best place for self-discovery is in the classroom. In this country, we pay far too little attention to creativity. We completely neglect the subjects whose source and heart is creativity. One third of the primary school curriculum is supposed to be about creativity, such as dance, drama, mime, etc, yet we have the most haphazard arrangement for imparting these to young people. The Minister took the straitjacket off the second level sector and allowed for the flexibility to have new learning experiences and formats. However, I was disappointed there was little mention of the arts. The only way self-discovery can happen is through the arts. Creativity and generic skills should work more closely together. What are the Minister's thoughts on this?