Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the future of education and the citizens' assembly on education that was mooted. I ask the Taoiseach to provide a timeline on when that might actually be instigated. I raise this because now is a very pertinent time, particularly in the context of the skills crisis that is facing the country. I acknowledge the work that has been done on higher education over the last number of years, including the provision of extra places for apprentices and so on. A citizens' assembly would be the right forum to question what education is for, to determine how we devise an education system going forward to produce a sustainable society and to answer all of those big questions that need to be asked about how we develop our future education policy. Of particular interest is the area of special education. Do we still follow a special school model or do we become more inclusive in mainstream school campuses, for example? The issue of school transport needs to addressed. Should every child have an equal right to access school and so on? If the Taoiseach could provide us with an update on when that citizens' assembly might be formed, that would be appreciated.

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