Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and thank him for attending. The plan makes for very interesting reading. I will try to confine my remarks to the specific goals. I hope the Minister will respond on a couple of points under each goal. With regard to goals 1 and 2, on the questions of the learning experience and the progress of learners at risk, reference was made previously to the teacher-pupil ratio and the progress towards the European target of having 20 students per teacher. That is essential if we are serious about the learning experience in our schools and giving teachers the capacity to deliver fully.

The review of DEIS-designated schools is overdue. It is crucial. I regret, in the context of some of the inclusion issues talked about in the House, the discontinuation of the healthy-foods-for-all initiative. This was important in providing the additional supports that allowed some students to benefit fully from an educational experience.

I wish to highlight the case of a particular group of learners at risk, lone parents. Lone parents seeking to re-enter education face particular challenges, one being that our system is not designed to ensure their full participation and progression.

I would like the Minister to address the question of the education and training boards and their need to provide high-quality, part-time courses at suitable hours that allow for full inclusion. That the SUSI grant is not available for those in part-time education also disadvantages women and those who are parenting alone, be they men or women.

On goal 3, on helping those delivering education services to improve continually, I wish to highlight two areas. The first concerns the higher education report in respect of gender equality. How will we make sure the recommendations are really mainstreamed and that those in education are not only progressing but also given an opportunity to progress? It is vital that this be followed through and that the recommendations be reflected in the plan. We must see real links, for example, to funding and the Athena SWAN achievement.

Progression is crucial where younger teachers are concerned. If we are asking teachers, including younger teachers, to improve continuously, we need to ensure they are given the opportunity to do so by looking to the INTO recommendations on the restoration of pay and ensuring middle-management positions and recognition for post-holders are high on the agenda. Pay and progression must go hand in hand and there should be two-way progress.

The key issue of concern for me is goal 4. Under goal 4, it is important that we assert ourselves very clearly. The UN Human Rights Committee and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child have spoken previously about the problem of baptism as a barrier to admissions. I would welcome a clear ministerial assertion that schools are not religious institutions but educational establishments, funded by the State in order to fulfil its obligation.