Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I am somewhat new to this Department, as the Deputy will be aware. My impression, which I will confirm or modify if necessary, is that the initiatives on e-learning are coming from local schools. I already quoted Meath VEC as one example and such initiatives have been seen in other places as well.

We are examining the reform of the secondary level curriculum, both at junior and senior cycles, and the question of e-learning must be an integral part of that review. The former council of the NCCA is meeting fairly soon, in the middle of this month, to review a proposal for reform of the junior cycle. There will be a major conference, the first of its kind, between the Higher Education Authority and the NCCA to examine the reform of the secondary level curriculum with a view to making it a much better link between primary level, which has a good curriculum and is progressive and open-ended, and third level. In that context at the beginning of the 21st century we cannot ignore e-learning and all the manifestations that go with that.

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