Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to brief committee members on the establishment of the Educational Research Centre, ERC, Drumcondra as a body corporate under section 54 of the Education Act 1998. The ERC was founded on the initiative of the Department of Education and St. Patrick’s College in the 1960s. Since its foundation, the ERC has been an internationally recognised centre of excellence in research, assessment and evaluation in education. Its work makes a key contribution to the development and evaluation of educational policy in Ireland. For example, members will be familiar with its work on educational disadvantage and the DEIS initiative and its work on international studies such as PISA. However, despite the national importance of the centre, it lacks any effective governance structure. The centre is physically sited on the campus of St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, and Department funding for the centre is channelled through the college. However, no governance structure was ever put in place for the centre, even though its work is completely distinct from that of the college. St. Patrick’s College is one of a number of colleges amalgamating to form a new institute of education under the auspices of Dublin City University. This makes the lack of governance of the centre an even more pressing issue.

In view of the key national strategic role of the centre, the Government decided in July 2014 to establish the ERC as a new agency under section 54 of the Education Act 1998. The required draft establishment order was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on 11 June 2015. It is intended to establish the ERC as a body corporate under section 54 of the Education Act 1998 on 30 July 2015. The establishment of the centre in this way will secure the future of the centre. First, establishing the centre as a body corporate with its own board will underpin its academic independence and secure its contribution to national policy making. Successive Ministers have respected the independence of thinking and research carried out by the ERC. Like them, I am conscious of the professional role researchers, evaluators and statisticians must play if they are to be valuable to the policy making process.

Second, I want to ensure the invaluable support the centre provides to other bodies in the education arena continues. The centre carries out research and provides advice and support to several bodies, including the Department and inspectorate, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the State Examinations Commission and the National Council for Special Education. The establishment order also provides that the ERC can play an important role in development and providing materials and systems to schools to enable them to monitor and report to parents and others on the progress of their students. Establishing the centre formally guarantees the continuance of the vital support to the education system.

Third, we have to remember that although the centre has no legal standing at present, it is a de facto body. Its main funding comes from the Department of Education and Skills, and its staff are public employees. My officials have consulted regularly with the college authorities and with the staff of the centre while these proposals for governance were worked out. Providing a legal basis for the centre will regularise the employment of the staff and the continuance of the centre’s excellent research and evaluation work.

The ERC is a key piece of our national educational infrastructure. It holds invaluable historical data on the Irish education system, including longitudinal data on the performance of Irish students. Its staff have the skills and expertise to enable Ireland to participate in major international studies such as TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA. There is a growing awareness of the importance of assessment and research in education systems and I want to ensure we have a strong Irish centre to carry out such work into the future. The establishment order is essential in achieving that aim.

It should be noted that establishment of the ERC as an agencywill not entail any additional costs to the Exchequer and no change is envisaged in the current level of funding of the centre by the Department. The staff working in the centre will transfer from the staff of St. Patrick’s College to that of the centre.

In the ERC, Ireland has an international recognised centre of excellence in educational research and assessment. Establishing the centre as a legal body simply regularises a currently unsatisfactory situation by enabling formal governance structures to be put in place. This will secure the future of the ERC and ensure its work and development can be put on a satisfactory footing. I will gladly answer any questions or questions members may have.