Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the actions being taken to tackle discipline difficulties in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2888/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has provided guidelines to boards of management to assist them in discharging their obligations in the area of school discipline. These guidelines, which issued in 1991, were drawn up following consultation with representatives of management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of the school.

Each board of management is responsible for formulating, in consultation with parents, a fair and efficient code of behaviour. This code should ensure that the individuality of each child is accommodated while acknowledging the right of each child to education in a relatively disruption-free environment. The code should also include provision for dealing with serious breaches of discipline and continuously disruptive pupils.

I have recently established a task force to consider and report on the issue of student behaviour in second level schools. The task force is chaired by Dr. Maeve Martin of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

I want the work of this task force to provide a solid foundation for developing policies and best practice in our schools into the future. I expect that the task force will be linking closely to a wide range of interests across our education system on this very important issue.

A consultative group is also to be formed, comprising all the partners in education and allowing for their input to the deliberations of the task force. In addition, I asked that the task force constitute fora of teachers, parents and students with a view to testing emerging ideas and proposals.

The terms of reference of the task force are: to examine the issue of disruptive student behaviour as it impacts upon teaching and learning; to consider the effectiveness of strategies at present employed to address it; to advise on existing best practice, both nationally and internationally, in fostering positive student behaviour in schools and classrooms; and to make recommendations on how best to promote an improved climate for teaching and learning in classroom and schools.

In recent days the task force has advertised in the national press inviting submissions from interested individuals and organisations.

I have asked the task force to make recommendations by June 2005 and complete its work by the end of 2005. However, it may produce interim reports to highlight various issues of analysis and research.