Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus guím comhghairdeas agus gach rath uirthi ina ról nua. The Minister comes into this position at a challenging time with huge decisions around the reopening of schools and indeed the reform of the sector as a whole, with the creation of the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. As the Labour Party spokesperson on further, higher and all aspects of education in the Seanad, I am glad to have the opportunity to engage with the Minister today.

I wish to address some of the long-term Labour Party educational priorities but at the outset I will address some of the immediate issues around the reopening of schools at the end of August. While the plan and funding that has been announced by the Minister is very welcome in providing clarity to schools, students and families, as my Labour Party colleague Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin stated, the task for schools is truly gargantuan. The announcement is coming very late in the day and in the next four weeks school principals are been asked to interview and recruit extra staff, access more building capacity, acquire PPE and sanitising equipment, produce new policies and procedures, train all staff in a new teaching reality and communicate with all parents. This is an enormous task ahead.

I am somewhat concerned about the consultation within the sector. We need to hear the voices of the school wardens, the special needs assistants, the caretakers and secretaries who will also be returning to school in August or September.

There are also significant questions on school transport. Ireland has some of the largest class sizes in Europe and nearly 20% of pupils are in class sizes of 30 students or more, which has been referred to by a number of the previous speakers. There is a missed opportunity here to reduce class sizes while also addressing social distancing in schools.

Serious concerns have been raised about consultation with students throughout recent months. The Special Committee on Covid-19 Response has had several sittings to discuss the return to school and has asked a variety of stakeholders to present to the committee but not students, despite the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union, ISSU, contacting the committee. ISSU should be at the table in discussions around returning to school and the leaving certificate and I make this request of the Minister today.

While we should be concerned about any age group missing out on education for an extended length of time I am particularly concerned about vulnerable fifth year students. As this year’s leaving certificate cohort have received much warranted the attention, the challenges may be even greater for incoming sixth years who have missed out on a significant amount of their leaving certificate syllabus. Many members of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland, ASTI and the Teachers' Union of Ireland, TUI, are concerned that some fifth year students may not even come back, particularly vulnerable ones, because of the length of time they have been out of the school system. There is no legal requirement for them to be in school over the age of 16. I would welcome the Minister's response on this issue.

It is no secret that I am passionate about education and increasing educational opportunities for all. While I welcome the opportunity presented by the formation of the new Department and all of the signs from the Minister, Deputy Harris, are very positive, my party has some concerns regarding the maintenance of the entire educational system as a continuum. We would insist on a coherent principle of equality and access from preschool years through primary, secondary, further and higher education in a continuation of lifelong learning. The research shows that access to higher education starts at the youngest age. While many fantastic access programmes exist in many universities and institutes of technology, it is very difficult to overcome the educational disadvantage that exists at primary level. The continuity aspect is absolutely crucial. Investment in early years is the single biggest way to ensure lifelong access to education. What are the Minister’s plans for this, particularly given the upheaval caused to the sector by the Covid-19 crisis?

An essential aspect of this continuum of education is career guidance in secondary school. Students need to be presented with a much wider range of further and higher education opportunities to meet their interests and needs. I will also welcome the Minister’s comments on how she envisions the bridge between second level and further and higher education developing over the coming years which is now more crucial than ever given the upheaval caused by Covid-19.

I will address syllabus reform. We welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to establish a citizens’ assembly on the future of education at primary and second levels. Referring again to my point on consultation with students, I would welcome a commitment to ensure that the voices of young people and learners are central in any of these consultations. Our schools have been very adaptable and flexible in recent years in responding to digital and technological changes.We saw this most recently as schools adapted quickly to online learning. Our teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to support students, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The citizens’ assembly will provide a great opportunity to look at priorities in education and making our education system fit for purpose in the 21st century. It will allow us to take a step back and ask the fundamental question as to what our education system is in an age when access to information is ubiquitous throughout the Internet. How does one equip students to engage with information in a critical, creative and curious way? How do we give them the skills to adapt in an ever-changing society environment and job market? The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the need for an educational system that is fit for purpose and one that is adaptable.

My party has called for an end to single-sex schools. There is no justification today to segregate children on the basis of sex. Segregation plays into significant issues in regard to LGBTQ+ inclusion and bullying. I commend the work of groups such as ShoutOut which provide workshops for tackling LGBTQ+ bullying.

I also stress the great reforms that are needed in sexuality education. It is striking that the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, report observations noted the shortcomings in Ireland in this regard. In particular, the report recommended that Ireland integrate compulsory and standardised age-appropriate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights into the school curricula, including comprehensive sex education for adolescence girls and boys covering responsible sexual behaviours and focused on preventing early pregnancies, and to ensuring that sex education is scientifically objective and delivered by schools and is closely monitored and evaluated. This is particularly pertinent given the launch yesterday by the Minister, Deputy Harris, on tackling sexual violence, rape and consent at third level education. I would like to hear the Minister’s plans for this area.

We also need to look at inclusion, not just within our schools, but within our syllabus. The Traveller Culture and History in Education Bill which was introduced by a former Senator, Colette Kelleher, and which passed All Stages in the Seanad last November will go some way towards addressing the inclusion of this much-neglected and ignored aspect of Irish history. Can the Minister inform the House of her plans to introduce that Bill in the Dáil?

On the issue of inclusion, I also mention here the need for educational opportunities for asylum seekers. Many residents in direct provision accommodation are valued students in our educational system at primary and secondary levels and sit our State examinations with their leaving certificate friends and yet cannot go on to further and higher education like their peers and the divide they feel is driven further. Has the Minister any plans to address this anomaly to ensure that those who have come through primary and secondary education with their peers can continue on to education just like any other normal leaving certificate student?

I appreciate the Minister comes to this role at a very challenging time with tackling the Covid-19 crisis as a priority, but this crisis also highlights a number of flaws such as our outrageous student-teacher ratio, the chronic state of a number of school buildings and pay parity which desperately needs to be addressed for our teachers.

I refer to the supports for, and the needs of, our students, which are provided by SNAs. I am concerned about the voice of SNAs not being included in the conversation over the past while.

We must also look forward as to how we will ensure the well-being of our LGBTQ+ students, particularly our trans students, asylum seekers and Travellers within the system. We must ensure none is lost within the system due to the Covid-19 crisis or simply falling through the cracks.

I thank the Minister for coming here today. I would appreciate her response on some of the issues I have raised. Gabhaim buíochas mór.