Ms Evelyn O'Connor:

I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee for inviting the Department here today. I am principal officer with responsibility for a number of areas including education for sustainable development, ESD. The Cathaoirleach has previously introduced my colleagues. ESD to 2030, our second national strategy, spans education from early learning and care through primary and post-primary to tertiary and beyond. We work closely with colleagues from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Under our first strategy published in 2014, ESD themes and principles were embedded across the system into the curriculum, into assessment and inspection processes and into initial teacher education and CPD. ESD to 2030 builds on these foundations. It also aims to ensure that “all learners have the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development”, in line with SDG 4.7. It is the first country initiative for ESD, together with Spain, adopted by the UN in the Europe and North America region. Much has been achieved to date but more needs to be done.

Building teacher competence and confidence to make the relevant linkages across subject areas and to use these opportunities to deliver ESD teaching and learning, is a priority for us. The Department is working with key stakeholders including to further support and expand ESD-related CPD provision. We are aligning ESD to other policies. For example, on foot of a recommendation of the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, we are working with Biodiversity Ireland to develop basic biodiversity training for non-teaching school staff.

The Department developed a sustainability toolkit for schools, which includes a self-assessment ESD audit, comprehensive guidelines with links to programmes and resources and a template sustainability policy statement for schools. Using the audit, schools can identify what they are doing well and where they need to improve. This supports schools in developing their school sustainability policy statement, adhering to the school sector climate action mandate.

The Department provided ESD funding to schools and organisations in 2022 and 2023 amounting to almost €1 million. This supported school ESD projects, including school gardens and outdoor learning spaces, biodigesters, water harvesting, recycling resources, etc. The funding to organisations supported the development of ESD resources, provision of CPD and the holding of ESD related events. Moreover, further ESD funding will be provided in the coming year.

We aim to empower our young people to put their ESD learning in the classroom into action, particularly in their local community. The inclusion of the Irish Second-Level Students Union and youth representatives on the board of the NCCA and on key steering and stakeholder groups, both nationally and internationally, will continue to play a central part in delivering ESD to 2030. Young people feature prominently at our annual ESD stakeholder forum.

The first youth assembly on climate recommended in 2019 that we have a separate leaving cert subject on climate action and sustainable development. This also featured in the public consultation on senior cycle reform. The curriculum is now being developed for introduction in network schools from September 2025. In addition, social and environmental education will be introduced from September 2025 in the new primary curriculum. These new curricula will enhance existing cross-curricular content and will give students an opportunity to deepen their study of sustainable development and climate change.

Under the climate action plan, the school sector must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. The Department’s approach is guided by a school sector climate action roadmap published last year to achieve these challenging targets. Core strategies include; implementation of the schools decarbonisation pathfinder programmes, decarbonisation of new school buildings, roll-out of the schools PV programme, future roll-out of a climate action-focused summer works scheme and transitioning heating in schools from oil, with the integration of renewable heating where possible.

School transport has been another strand of the Department's contribution to climate change, including supporting the safe routes to school programme. We are happy to take any questions the committee may have.