Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The integrated implementation plan for arts in education, which is a priority for Creative Ireland, seeks to enable the creative potential of every child. The creative children plan will see the key objectives of the charter for arts in education embraced, fast-tracked and resourced as a core element of the Creative Ireland agenda. Principles and guidelines are stated in the charter, which include enabling children to explore alternative ways of communication, encouraging ideas that are personal and inventive, and making a vital contribution to the development of a range of intelligences. These build on existing initiatives such as the worldwide coding for children movement, CoderDojo, music generation, which is both a cultural movement and an instrument for creative learning, and the Ark, a dedicated cultural centre for children in Temple Bar. The Department of Education and Skills, together with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and my Department, will be central to the success of this pillar. It is anticipated that the plan for pillar 1 of the Creative Ireland programme, enabling the creative potential of every child, will be launched in early autumn 2017.

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