Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be clear on the commitment of the Department to the Cork Life Centre.

There is a very clear and obvious commitment by the Department. Again, there is significant funding of €177,500 going from the Department directly to Cork Life Centre and 6,000 co-operation hours between ourselves and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, which in turn is leading to 8.5 full-time staff as well. I had the opportunity to meet representatives from the Cork Life Centre and was very impressed by the work they, and indeed all of the other centres, do. I absolutely recognise there must be opportunities for different types of models of education provision, and it is for that reason the review of out-of-school education provision is so important. We are looking to find a mechanism going forward to protect the sustainability of these centres. That work is ongoing and I assure the committee there is an absolute commitment from the Department to ensure sustainability of this type of education provision will be secured going forward.

In terms of diversity and teacher diversity, the Department of Education has undertaken numerous initiatives to make teaching attainable for people from a variety of diverse backgrounds. Increasing diversity in initial teacher education was a key focus of the third national access plan. As part of the plan, funding in excess of €5.4 million was made available through the programme for the access to higher education, PATH, programme which supports access. Equally, the Department of Education continues to support the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science which recently announced the fourth national access plan last August or September, and there is the teaching transforms campaign which promotes the teaching profession. I understand and see the great work being done and the importance being placed on students being able to identify with those who stand in front of them in a classroom, specifically in terms of Roots of Empathy. I acknowledge the work of the current steering group where a significant body of work is being led by Dr. Noel Purdy of Stranmillis University College in Antrim. It is an entire review of the 2013 action plan on bullying for our schools. As part of that there has been engagement with many different providers, including Barnardos, whose representatives made presentations to the anti-bullying steering committee. There has been very specific engagement and consultation as well.