Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 657: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress made in relation to the programme for Government proposal to encourage the establishment of student councils and provide for formal liaison arrangements between them and their school's board of management. [28706/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Section 27 of the Education Act 1998 provides that Boards of Management in second level schools shall facilitate and give all reasonable assistance to Student Councils. Student Councils are established in the majority of post-primary schools. It is important not only to ensure that each school has a Student Council which is representative of all students in the school but also that Councils are given a meaningful role in school decision-making.

The Act provides that Boards shall have procedures for the purposes of informing students of the activities of the school and to facilitate the involvement of students in the operation of the school, having regard to the age and experience of the students, in association with their parents and teachers.

An active Student Council can be a most effective way to involve students in the affairs of the school, in cooperation with the board, parents and teachers.

In 2002, my Department issued guidelines on the establishment and operation of Student Councils, 'Student Councils: A Voice for Students'. In November 2005, a curriculum development project on the setting up and development of Student Councils, entitled Giving Young People a Voice, through the Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) curriculum was established. This was a partnership project between the Office for the Minister for Children and the Curriculum Development Unit of City of Dublin VEC. The Project has assisted and supported schools, teachers and students in the establishment of effective Student Councils in schools through the development and piloting of a teaching and learning resource for the CSPE curriculum. It is important that schools engage with the issues which Student Councils themselves highlight as matters of concern.

In post-primary schools where Student Councils have been established, my Department's Inspectorate meets with the representatives of the students during a whole-school evaluation. This meeting is intended to provide the students' representatives with opportunities to give an account of their participation in school life, their achievements during the year, how they manage meetings, who they communicate with and how and to talk about some of the issues that have been raised at meetings. Students' views are also sought on the atmosphere of the school and the extent to which students are involved in decision-making.

In September 2007 my Department appointed a Student Council Coordinator to design and deliver a programme of professional development to respond to identified needs and to support Student Council Liaison teachers and schools involved in establishing and developing effective Student Councils at second-level. The Student Council Co-ordinator works within the CSPE Support Service with specific responsibility for Student Councils.

The second level support service of my Department is providing training at national, regional, local and school level for both the liaison teachers and the Student Councils. The purpose of this training is to develop effective student councils. Support is also being provided to encourage the networking of Student Councils.

In relation specifically to Boards of Management, the advice being delivered at in-service and in schools is that Student Councils should be proactive in engaging with the Boards of Management of their schools.

They should present their reviewed Constitution to the Board of Management for ratification every year, soon after the elections.

The students are being encouraged to keep the Board updated on meetings and issues by sending agendas and minutes to the Board through the Secretary which is usually the Principal of a school.

Reports should be sent regularly to the Board and the Student Council should look to meet with the Board a minimum of twice a year, at the beginning and at the end.

Funding applications for needs identified in the school or for the day to day running of the Student Council should also be made directly to the Board.

Student Councils are being encouraged to evaluate the year's work. This would include asking the Board, school staff, students and the parents' associations, to evaluate their engagement with the Council during the year.

Resources are currently being developed to support the Liaison Teachers in their work with the Student Councils one of which will specifically address the practical needs of the Student Council in e.g. how to present and draw up plans, proposals, funding applications, the constitution, reports etc. to the Boards of Management. This resource will be presented to Liaison Teachers at national in-service for consultation and review, prior to dissemination to schools.