Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. In his previous ministry, he pioneered the concept of the action plan and its constant monitoring. It achieved a great outcome in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the rate of unemployment currently stands at under 8%, down from a high of 15.2%. It was a phenomenal success there and I have no doubt the same model, with a different set of criteria and a different methodology, will also work in this instance. To use the biblical adage, "By their fruits you shall know them". The Minister has a record of delivery and I have no doubt he will deliver again.

The Minister was correct in stating that education is critical to creating a fair society, giving people quality of life and creating a vibrant economy. We all understand that, so I do not propose to spend five minutes going through how it works.

It is not specifically under the remit of the Minister's Department, but the recent announcement of the second year of free early childhood education is very critical to childhood development because such development begins at a very young age. That is a great help to creating equality and will assist in the context of what happens in primary school. It is a welcome development. I am a greater believer in early childhood education.

It is important in the upcoming budget that we continue to reduce class sizes. I have no doubt the Minister will fight for this. The reduction of class size at primary level is critical to good outcomes. All research suggests that there is a link between class size and performance. Research also suggests that interventions are needed at a younger age to create equality of opportunity. Reducing class sizes is critical.

Continuous professional development of our excellent and outstanding, professional teachers is necessary. They are the first to say they need continuous professional development and because they are good and committed, they benefit from it. There was a loss to schools during the recession. We are not here today to analyse the causes of that recession or its history, only to say there was a loss of positions of leadership and responsibility in schools. They need to be rebalanced as do the capitation fees for students, which were cut by 30% during the recession. That needs readjustment. They are practical areas that will serve to achieve the Minister's higher objective.

The Minister is correct that a key priority is to reduce disadvantage. He is also correct to cite the DEIS school programme as having achieved a lower dropout rate, down to 18% from 32%.

I wish to refer to a matter which falls outside the Minister's remit but in respect of which he will have a moral authority in Cabinet. It is the simple, basic and practical thing of the school meals programme. As a former teacher, a parent and somebody who lives and interacts with people on a daily basis, practical common sense tells me that the school meals programme is very important in many areas. It is very important that children get a wholesome diet. The Acting Chairman, Senator O'Mahony, was an educator for many years. He might agree that it is critical for children to have a proper diet and good food. One of the best teachers I ever taught with said to me one time that if a child has a good night's sleep and proper food they will learn. It is a basic common-sense thing but it is necessary. The school meals programme should be maintained and extended to include a lunch as well as a breakfast because sadly children do not always have a proper diet. I mentioned sleep and there should be potential for the home-school liaison teachers to look at that and work with parents. Proper sleep is critical to the development of children and young adults. That is an issue which could be examined.

I wish to address one matter of which the Minister is acutely aware. It is an issue that affects males and females, but predominantly males, between the ages of 15 and 18. A cohort of those tends to opt out of academia, underperform and lose interest. If they are in school under duress from their parents and because of societal pressure, they are only physically present. More could be done there and perhaps apprenticeship will come into play. Will the Minister respond to that? I am thinking of the concept of apprenticeships extending into other areas such as insurance. Wider links with industry might achieve something. Will the Minister respond to my point on those young men? Academia does not seem to work for them and yet they have every right to be in school. They have great potential and they lose heart.

I agree with the Minister that lifelong learning should be a privilege and opportunity for all of us. It is an exciting thing to do so we should do it. In that context, post-leaving certificate institutions have a potential to be used for lifelong learning opportunities. I will strike a parochial note with my final point. We did much in the capital area under the previous administration and a lot was achieved in my constituency in terms of capital. We have one particular capital need for the new education campus in Cavan town; the excellent post-leaving certificate institute there is included in the capital programme. Senator Gallagher will support me on this. I would like to see it built in the term of this Government.