Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)

Aontaím go mór leis an rún seo. When we speak about education we do not just speak about education, buildings or the boards of management. We speak about values, choice and identity. I can understand a lot of the stuff behind the motion. I agree with the spirit of the motion but I also signed up to support the programme for Government. I did not do so blindly and uncritically. I had a good look at the programme for Government and there is a clear thing that is not mentioned in this debate. On page 66 it says the Government will "Hold a convention bringing together all stakeholders in education." Will the Minister tell us when this will be done? We need to bring in all the stakeholders. Have communication. Hundreds of parents in north Dublin have spoken to me who want the choice.

I want to be able to hold the Government to the commitments that other Independents, the two parties and I have signed up for. It is a document that we all agreed would say this was what we were going to do. Some 90% of primary schools in Ireland remain under religious patronage, as has been said by everyone in this Chamber, with fewer than 6% being multidenominational. The parents I speak to in my constituency tell me that they do not have the choice. Some parents want non-religious education while some want coeducational schools. The numbers bear this out. As Deputy Gogarty just said, 51 of 52 new schools have been multidenominational. However, the overall pace of change remains too slow for the parents who want that choice.

The previous programme for Government committed to "400 multidenominational primary schools by 2030", a target that has vanished from the current document, similar to other targets in much of this document. It is one of the first programmes for Government to omit this. I understand why, as it means the next Government would otherwise be held accountable. However, if we believe in pluralism and inclusion, we must show it in writing and show a clear commitment to how much we are going to do.

The Government amendment rightly acknowledges parental choice and increasing enrolments, but it fails to mention in its amendment key commitments, such as the promise to expand opportunities for students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. This is something that I am hearing consistently. I am in a group chat - the Minister is well aware of it - of 450 parents who are still banging on the door. I have asked already but will do it again: will the Minister get the Department to reach out to Gaelcholáiste Reachrann before the end of this term? North Dublin needs to be shown that the Gaeilgeoirí in the constituency have the right to a school building. I was very lucky to have a sister who taught me the Irish language, but there are children attending that school whose parents do not have the language. If we want to revitalise the Irish language, we need to give them that choice. Is í ár dteanga dhúchais í, agus caithfimid a bheith bródúil as ár dteanga dhúchais agus an t-airgead a chur isteach inti. Mura bhfuilimid á dhéanamh sin, tá sé uafásach do na daoine óga atá ag fás aníos ag iarraidh ár dteanga dhúchais a fhoghlaim.

Let me say this clearly: we cannot talk about parental choice and diversity in education while ignoring Irish-medium schools. This is not pluralism; it is selective silence. I asked the Minister to go to Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, not for a photo op or TikTok video, but as a show of respect and seriousness, because they are the generation who sustains and grows the Irish language. We must fund and support the schools that do the work every day and show the teachers who are in a staff room in a prefab that we are committed to supporting them.

I wish to speak directly to the parents, especially those campaigning for change, whom I met in the audiovisual room recently at an event held by one of the Minister's party's members. I have listened to them and I am hoping to push from the inside. I am not turning my back on their campaign. I am using this to insist that the commitments made in the programme for Government are kept, crucially, the commitments to Irish-language education, Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, reflecting both parental choice and our national identity.

There is a short line in the programme for Government. It is easy to miss, but it is essential, "Hold a convention bringing together all stakeholders in education". Cathain atá an tAire chun é sin a dhéanamh? We need to have the convention and the clear choice. I apologise if she has already announced it and I missed it. The future of Irish education cannot be decided behind closed doors. It should be co-created openly and transparently and with all people involved.

I support the amendment, but I will not be supporting the motion. Let us honour the programme for Government and show the people that we mean what we said and what we all signed up for.

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