Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am really pleased to have an opportunity to speak on the programme for Government that I was pleased to negotiate with colleagues over the last number of weeks and months and one that sets out our priorities as a Government over the next five years. It is built on delivering a strong economy and a fair society and central to that is our education system. We have set out very clearly in the programme for Government that education is at the heart of all our ambitions as a country. Excellent and innovative education and training are essential to delivering a fair society and a strong economy. The education system must begin by supporting everyone to fulfil their potential no matter their background or ability. We all have ability. It is about identifying, supporting and harnessing it. Working with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and following on from the work of our predecessors, I intend to place a significant focus on supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their potential while working closely with the NCSE and my Department in that regard.

We must ensure our education system is inclusive of all of our students. That means opening additional educational schools and special classes. It means expanding the number of SNAs, building on the huge expansion to date. It means further special education teachers, expanding on the resources available to special schools and making sure we have a better structure in place particularly when it comes to parents accessing school places. This means placing a greater focus on the rights of parents. The introduction of a common application system for children applying for special classes or for special schools has the potential to be a game-changer for parents and we will work to implement this system building on the work of the Dublin 15 task force. We must also take additional actions to tackle educational disadvantage.

The DEIS programme is a significant support to 260,000 students right across 1,200 schools. The Minister, Deputy Foley, secured funding to extend the DEIS programme to 322 additional schools. The intervention by the Minister is already having a real and very positive impact on the lives of children. However, we want to and must do more. As Minister, I intend to prioritise actions that will close the gap between our DEIS and our non-DEIS schools. In particular, I wish to place a focus on improving outcomes for children from areas of high deprivation, while of course increasing innovation and collaboration between schools.

Since Covid-19 and the pandemic, the rate of absenteeism in schools has, unfortunately, increased significantly. The proportion of children in primary schools missing more than 20 days has doubled since the pandemic. This is even more profound among some cohorts of children and young people. As Minister for education and youth, I am determined to take actions that can reverse this trend. There are of course many complex reasons children do not attend schools, so tackling this issue requires a real partnership approach of school, home and community supports, as well, of course, as listening to our children and young people. I think there is a real opportunity now that the responsibility for youth is moving into the Department to ensure there is that synergy. We have our schools, which are really important places for our young people to be supported. The question, though, is how we can work outside the schools with our youth services more and ensure greater connectivity between both. How can we ensure that we support our young people to flourish in school and outside of school to ultimately maximise their potential and help them to achieve their ambitions for the future?

The world is changing and it is essential that the education system changes too and that we and the students are equipped with the abilities and knowledge to succeed in this rapidly changing world. The AI and digital revolution, in particular, presents the biggest change for our economy and society. That is why curriculum reform is so important. I again commend the work of my colleague the Minister, Deputy Foley, on reform of the leaving certificate. There is now an opportunity and momentum to move forward on examinations that recognise a broader range of competencies looking at critical analysis, creative thinking, information processing, communication, being personally effective and, something we all know is important in here, working together. I will also take action to support teaching and learning in Irish. I will publish a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht with an objective to increase the proportion of children and young people attending Irish-medium education settings. I am also determined to continue to upgrade our schools across the country. We all know the opening of a school, a refurbishment or a new extension is a great moment for a school and a community, and I intend for that to continue. Since 2020, my Department has invested more than €5.7 billion in our schools right across the country. It has involved the completion of more than 1,150 school project buildings. Much more is under way. Again, as the Minister for education and youth, I want to ensure this record investment continues.

Finally, a key commitment in the programme for Government is to support our teachers, who are so important to everything I have discussed, and all those who work in our education system. This will be absolutely key. Between 2018 and 2024, the number of allocated primary teaching posts has increased by 14% or more than 5,000, while post-primary posts have increased by 18% or more than 5,000. Our population, though, is growing and so is the demand. We need to do much more and in the coming weeks I intend to set out additional measures we can take to improve our teacher supply and to support our teachers.

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