Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not anticipate a general election for a while. God knows what might happen tonight.

I was present in the Seanad and participated in the debate on that legislation. I was also part of the decision on the place of history in our junior cycle curriculum. Part of the positive feedback I have received from history teachers relates to local history now that junior cycle has that flexibility. There is an abundance of local history and a wealth of information on Traveller culture. We have a great opportunity and I would like progress in that regard.

Functional literacy requires considerable work. I worked on a youth project a long time ago. One of the actions we strongly supported was providing homework clubs for young people in disadvantaged areas. A number of young Travellers participated in a homework club. At the time it was primarily Traveller girls and we had that difficulty of getting Traveller boys into that club. We found other ways for them to participate in formal education, one of which was not as a segregated group but with other young lads from the estate.

It goes back to the Chairman's question on how to have meaningful inclusion and the capacity. We need to upskill and train teachers to ensure that they have the capacity to deal with the literacy and numeracy challenges for all groups and not just Travellers. That is at the heart of our system.

At the heart of my education plan when I came into this Department was the word "cumasú", meaning empowerment. My plan aims to empower each individual. Everyone gains from the wealth of a fully inclusive system, not just Travellers.