Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thank you very much, Mr. Hussey. I am just thinking of the stress we were all under less than 12 months ago in the context of the general election. We spoke to so many different audiences and groups. One such audience stands out for me. Kildare Youth Theatre brought together all of the candidates from all parties and none and really grilled us. I was so full of respect and admiration for the young people involved, in terms of their honesty and integrity. It was very clear that they had come through a process that made them confident about putting their arguments forward. A great service was done by bringing those young people together and informing them about all of the issues related to elections, civic dialogue, civil society and so on and then affording all of the candidates the opportunity to interact with them. It was tough, I must say, but well worth doing.

Before I go to members, I must say that the four contributions this afternoon were absolutely fascinating. We have all learned a lot. It is great to have really strong recommendations that we can bring forward. There was a great deal of commonality in the contributions from witnesses. When the phrase "exciting chord" was used I was thinking of teachers facing 35 or 36 students and trying to create adventures in learning. That is so important but so difficult to do.

I am a former teacher, as are Deputies Carol Nolan and Catherine Martin. In terms of curriculum development, particularly at second level, far too much time is focused on acquiring information rather than learning key skills to enable students to navigate the world. As all of the witnesses have said, the skills of critical and creative thinking, processing information and working with others are absolutely essential to enable young people to navigate their way in the world and to prepare them for life, not just for employment opportunities. Far too often, the emphasis in schools is on getting points, going out into the world, getting a job and becoming an economic unit within society. The emphasis must be on far more than that.

In terms of the tough job that teachers have, the overwhelming emphasis on points for third level and students scoring high in the State examinations, is not supportive of them. The publication of league tables, for example, is something with which I fundamentally disagree. It is not the teachers' fault but the focus of their work is on the provision of information. For the student, the focus is on the retention of that information. Our teachers face enormous demands and we need to do more to identify and support great teaching. That point was made clear in all of the contributions in terms of how we need to support teachers and students, both inside and outside the classroom. We need to involve the whole community in order to achieve greater social integration and to deal with the various issues that arise. Over 2,000 years ago Aristotle celebrated education as "an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity". We are certainly going through a crisis now, not just in Ireland but around the world, and education can be an agent of renewal in terms of how we go forward.

This committee must consider its role carefully in terms of what we put forward to Government. I apologise for speaking for so long and now invite Senator Ruane to speak.