Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I listened to everything the Minister had to say about Cork Life Centre so I will not ask her to comment further. Having visited the place and met students and their teachers, however, it struck me, and continues to strike me, how particularly unfair it seems. When we have teachers who are giving a very targeted, specific and necessary service to students in their care, which is in no way to detract from the huge contributions of teachers in more mainstream settings, it seems so unfair that there would be a disincentive to remaining in such a centre of learning because of the relative disadvantage of continuing if the advantage is to be had elsewhere in terms of progression at salary level and so on. It is, therefore, definitely an issue that needs to be addressed.

The Minister also spoke about the free school books at primary level, which I welcome. Is there any chance she can say a little bit more about how she intends to go about consultations? Obviously, even good change can be a little bit frightening and daunting for some. There are retailers, small retailers and book publishers, which I have been dealing with myself lately. It is legitimate for them to be concerned and to ask what this means for their livelihoods and employees and so on. If the Minister can say anything about the timescale of the consultations she plans to have, or whether it is her intention, broadly speaking, to continue to ensure that those who are participating in the sector will not be forced out or disadvantaged by the new arrangements that proposed, that would be helpful.

I spoke recently to somebody who was repurposing a building in the hope of providing accommodation for Ukrainian families in that area, which struck me as being a very legitimate endeavour. This person was concerned, however, and inquired and wondered about whether there would be school places in the area for Ukrainian students, particularly in terms of those who have not yet come to the country. Is there anything the Minister can tell us in that regard? Are there specific challenges? Are there challenges in particular places as opposed to others? Can the Minister shed any light on the challenges, of which there are many, faced by the Government in this particular area?

The Minister will know that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is conducting a consultation about relationship and sexuality consultation, RSC. I have heard from many parents who are concerned about aspects of the proposed new curriculum. They worry, in general, that the curriculum is tending to get a bit political, to say the least. There is concern, for example, about the proposal to talk about the influence of or teach about pornography. Some of them wonder why the State is teaching about it when it is doing so little to tackle access to and promotion of pornography. It is something that could be gotten right but it could be gotten very wrong as well.

This intersects with questions of the characteristic spirit of schools and the values of parents, who are the primary educators. Is the Minister able to reassure us that there will continue to be respect for the diversity of schools and school characteristics, and for the concerns of parents, in the context of these proposed changes to the curriculum?

In the context of paper 1 as Gaeilge, and Béarla being possibly taken after year 1, what are the other areas in which we could see the lightening of the leaving certificate load?

What are the earlier opportunities? Does it have to be the essay? Might there be filiocht studied in year one and prose in bliain a dó? I am not just talking about Irish; are there aspects of chemistry or mathematics curriculum that could be dealt with in that staggered way? Is the Department looking at that? Where might the early changes be?

I believe politics and society is a subject that is increasingly popular at second level. It would be remiss of me not to ask the Minister if she would encourage students, teachers and parents to take up the opportunity to participate in the new Oireachtas essay competition that I launched in recent weeks with the support of the Ceann Comhairle and others. I would be delighted for an endorsement of that competition in this forum and an encouragement to everyone to get involved. I would also be grateful if those Teachtaí or Seanadóirí who have received a text or email today would also notify the schools and stakeholders in their spheres of influence in their localities.