Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----but standing still is never enough, and we are committed to reforming and improving our education system. A new national literacy and numeracy strategy was launched in 2011 to raise educational standards in primary and second level schools, and €6 million is being spent on the roll-out of that strategy this year. The recommendations of the forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector are being implemented to bring about greater parental choice within our education system. The junior cycle is to be overhauled, with a new school-based approach to assessment starting for students entering post-primary education in 2014. A national anti-bullying forum was held for the first time in May, and an action plan on bullying will be published by the end of the year - coincidentally, this is a matter that was under discussion in the Seanad this evening.

We have also announced for the first time ever a transparent and honest five-year building programme for the school capital programme. We are reforming the VEC sector by creating 16 new education and training boards; that legislation is currently before the Dáil. I have been overseeing the creation of SOLAS, a new further education and training agency which will give this sector a clear direction and a new vision for the future. Early this year we announced a ground-breaking ICT action plan that will see the ICT sector and my Department working hand-in-glove to address skills gaps in this sector to ensure that Ireland remains at the forefront of the technology industry worldwide, and work is under way to re-examine the entire higher education landscape. In just 18 months, therefore, the Government, despite the serious economic challenges we are facing, has built a firm foundation for what I believe will be one of the most ambitious educational reform agendas undertaken by any Government.

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