Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he received a copy of the Being Young and Irish – Take Charge of Change report from the Office of the President, Áras an Uachtaráin as part of President Higgins series of seminars with young persons here which took place in Dublin, Galway, Monaghan and Cork in 2012; if he has noted the Take Charge of Change declaration made by the participants; the steps he has taken arising out of the report’s findings in order to achieve young person’s vision for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14528/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I have received a copy of the "Being Young and Irish – Take Charge of Change" report. I share the concerns of the young people in relation to the creation of jobs. Last year, the Government published "Pathways to Work". This will involve radical reform and restructuring of the Further Education and Training Sector and the establishment of SOLAS which is currently underway.

In 2011, the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy was published. The recommendations in the Strategy are currently being implemented. Last October, I published the Framework for the Junior Cycle. When the Framework is implemented it should address many of the concerns of the young people about their junior cycle education and it should become more "fit for purpose". In the new Framework, literacy and numeracy skills are again highlighted but so too are six other skills: Managing myself; staying well; communicating; being creative; working with others and also managing information and thinking. This approach to the learning experience of students in junior cycle should get away from the current focus on a narrow set of skills which the report criticises and it should influence practices in senior cycle.

The Framework is underpinned by 8 Principles – including Wellbeing; Quality; Creativity and Innovation; Choice and Flexibility: Engagement and Participation; Inclusive Education; Continuity and Development and also Learning to Learn. These principles should be the enablers for the delivery of a broader education.

The learning at the core of the junior cycle is described through 24 statements of learning. These, when implemented, will respond directly to many of the comments of the young people including the need for the students to experience and value "what it means to be an active citizen, with rights and responsibilities in local and wider contexts" and to value "local, national and international heritage, understand the importance of the relationship between past and current events and the forces that drive change".

I am, over the next 7 years, phasing out the State Junior Certificate examination and replacing it with a school based approach to assessment. The Junior Certificate is no longer, for the vast majority of students, a high stakes examination. Instead, at the end of junior cycle, there will be a school report. It will include a School Certificate which will provide information on a student's achievement in subjects and short courses but, in addition, the School Certificate will be accompanied by an achievement profile which will provide a formal opportunity to acknowledge important achievements by students e.g in volunteering, in sport, debating.

Irish is a very important part of my remit and I am particularly aware of the recommendations in the 20 Year Strategy for Irish. I am committed to implementing the recommendations in the Strategy in accordance with the resources available.

My Department along with the NCCA, SEC and HEA are examining issues relating to the transition from second level to higher education. This is as a follow up to the recommendations of a joint conference organised by the NCCA and HEA in September 2011 and the report which emanated from their conference.

To address issues relating to access to third level education, which were highlighted by the young people, I would like to refer to the HEA publication of January 2010 "Hidden Disadvantage? A study on the Low Participation in Higher Education by the Non- Manual Group". The research for the report was carried out by the ESRI and its recommendations continue to inform policy.

A mid-term review of Ireland's National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2008-2013 has been carried out and identifies that, despite difficult circumstances, progress has been made in this area. Work has now commenced on the development of the next national access plan for 2014 onwards. A key component of the new plan will be consideration of what targets and actions are needed so that the focus will continue on increasing the participation of under-represented and disadvantaged groups in higher education.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Initiative, the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study which are a minimum of two years duration in an approved higher education institution. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is undertaking a study on the sustainability of the current funding system for higher education. This study was initiated at my request and an initial report has been published. This report makes it clear that immediate work is required to prepare for a longer term approach to a system that can be maintained through a sustainable funding base which will be able to address the continual expansion of the sector while protecting quality of education. The HEA is continuing its work in this area and I will be advised further as this work progresses. The report will help inform the decision-making as to the future funding of the sector.

The voice and views of the partners are very important as I consider policy and the young person's voice is particularly important. I welcome the views of students when there are school evaluations along with, for example, the views of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union. The "Being Young and Irish" report provides another very important and rich perspective not only for my continued consideration but also for a wider audience. My overall aim is to support the quality of our students' learning and to improve their educational outcomes.