Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which her Department monitors the school curriculum at primary and secondary level, with a view to ensuring the highest possible standard of education, and a readiness for the modern labour market; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22687/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is the body charged with advising the Minister on curriculum and assessment matters related to early childhood, primary and post-primary education. The NCCA, as a statutory body, keeps the curriculum under review with a view to contributing to education standards generally, as well as to specific aspects of social, cultural and economic development. Through a combination of its ongoing deliberations on the curriculum at all levels and its actions on foot of Ministerial policy priorities, the NCCA plays a key role in this area.

Recent work has focused on STEM which is a national policy priority (with reviews of mathematics and science curricula). One of the aims of the overall Junior Cycle reform is to ensure that subjects at this level are fit for purpose. In addition, at junior cycle, the emphasis in the reformed junior cycle will be on the development of key skills that students will use not only in school but also throughout their lives. Such skills include communicating, working with others and being creative - all skills required in our modern labour market. Similar skills are already promoted at senior cycle, including within the Transition Year programme.