Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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664. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made by her Department in respect of targets and goals set out in sustainable development goals of the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development under the policy remit of her Department; and if these targets and goals will be met by their respective deadlines. [12899/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department remains continually committed to the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with significant progress being made to advance key priorities and actions. Last year, the National Implementation Plan 2022-2024 was published and it sets out five strategic objectives. My Department works to ensure we support our colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to ensure we play our part in delivering this plan.

The Central Statistics Office manage Ireland’s Sustainable Development Goals data hub, which reports on Ireland’s progress towards the global goals, measured using agreed targets and indicators. Their progress report on SDG 4 – Quality Education was published in 2019 and can be accessed here:

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In keeping with Ireland’s “whole-of-Government” approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal, each Minister is responsible for implementing relevant individual SDG targets. My Department has responsibility for leading implementation of the following as part of SDG 4, Quality Education - to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all:

1. The National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Last year, my Department published its second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, ESD to 2030 which is aimed at ensuring that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills required to promote sustainable development.

The strategy, and its accompanying implementation plan, is co-sponsored by the Department of Education, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

The Strategy sets out five key priority areas:

- Advancing policy

- Transforming learning environments

- Building capacities of educators

- Empowering and mobilising young people

- Accelerating local level actions

The strategy aims to transform educational spaces into places and spaces for sustainability. It will seek to embed ESD across teaching and learning, research and operational environments, and promote diverse and inclusive learning environments for all.

ESD to 2030 is a key strategy to deliver on SDG 4.7 which aims to ensure that “all learners have the knowledge and skills required to promote sustainable development” and can be accessed here: gov.ie - National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development in Ireland (www.gov.ie)

ESD to 2030 is a target in itself (SDG 4.7), it also supports delivery of SDG targets 12.8. and 13.3 specifically and is widely acknowledged as a key enabler for the achievement of all 17 SDGs.

2.DEIS

DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools is the main policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level, and contributes to delivery of SDG 4.5 which aims to “eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations”. The DEIS programme provides for smaller class sizes and other supports including additional teaching posts, School Completion Programmes, Home School Community Liaison Coordinators, DEIS grants, enhanced book grants, curriculum supports and priority access to Continuing Professional Development for teachers and school leaders.

In March 2022, a refined DEIS Identification model was published increasing access to the DEIS scheme to an additional 322 schools The programme now includes over 1,200 schools and supports approximately 240,000 students. This means 1 in 4 of all students are now supported in the programme. This recent expansion will add an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for the programme to €180million.

The DEIS identification process is based on the principle of concentrated disadvantage and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The DEIS identification model aimed to identify those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school using the school's enrolment data and national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is publicly available.

The extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one component of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I also recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Since June 2020, and over the past three budgets, I have secured funding to provide measures to support children in this regard. As part of Budget 2023, I announced over €50 million to provide free books to primary school pupils within the free education scheme from next September. I have also further improved the staffing schedule for all primary schools to 23:1, the lowest it has ever been.

Following the National Census 2022 held on the 3rd April last, it is envisaged that an updated HP Deprivation Index will be generated by Pobal and will be available in Q3 of 2023. My Department will engage with Pobal in relation to this process. The updated HP Deprivation Index, when available, will be considered by my Department to help inform future resource allocation to tackle educational disadvantage.

The next phase of work will consider all schools, within and outside the DEIS programme and explore the overall allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with relevant stakeholders over the coming months.

The significant investment to date and ongoing work of my Department reflects my commitment to supporting a quality and inclusive school system that provides an equal opportunity at success for children at risk of educational disadvantage.

3. STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026

The STEM Education Policy contributes specifically to SDG target, 4.5 aiming to improve the STEM education experience and outcomes for all learners.

A Review of Literature to Identify a Set of Effective Interventions for Addressing Gender Balance in STEM in Early Years, Primary and Post-Primary Education Settingswas published by my Department in November 2020. The report sets out what is known about critical barriers to girls’ participation in STEM education and STEM learning, while also highlighting effective interventions to increase participation of girls in STEM.

Development of a set of recommendations to guide national actions in relation to gender balance in STEM have been developed and will be published shortly. Development of the second STEM Education implementation Plan 2022-2026is underway to include public consultation and targeted education stakeholder/partners consultations. The outputs from the consultation process along with the Gender balance in STEM recommendations and STEM and the Arts recommendations that are being developed at present will inform the new implementation plan.

4. Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying

Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullyingis a practical and inclusive roadmap, containing 61 actions that will help us all to work together towards a diverse, inclusive Irish society free from bullying in all its forms and where individual difference is valued and celebrated in our schools. It is rooted in four key principles prevention, support, oversight and community and supports delivery of SDG 4.5.

Cineáltas actions are grouped under four key areas: Wellbeing Promotion: Culture and Environment; Curriculum (Teaching and Learning); Policy and Planning, and Relationships and Partnerships.

5. Literacy and Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy

The Literacy and Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2011-2020has now expired and development of a follow on strategy is underway. The next iteration of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy will deliver on SDG target 4.6 which aims to ensure that “ all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women achieve literacy and numeracy”.

Research was commissioned by my Department to include the identification of achievements, gaps, best practice and possible areas for action for the new 10 year strategy. Feedback from a stakeholder engagement and public consultation will also feed into my Department’s development of the new strategy.

6. Review of the School Transport Scheme

My Department commenced a review of the School Transport Scheme in February 2021. The review is examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, with a view to ensuring that it serves students and their families appropriately. It will build upon the commitments within the Programme for Government as they relate to school transport. The review includes an examination of options to reduce car journeys, commitments in respect of climate action and the potential of the School Transport Scheme to support broader government aims of promoting sustainability in transport. The review is also examining promoting where possible initiatives that encourage walking and cycling to school.

7. School Energy Retrofit Pathfinder Programme

My Department is at the forefront of design with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings.

My Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded pathfinder programme, which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Planning and Building Unit in the Department of Education with delivery support from Limerick Clare ETB.

This pathfinder is a great example of collaboration ensuring the deployment of new design approaches and technologies are introduced to the educational environment on an evidence based approach.

This programme continues to assist the Department to explore options and test various solutions for decarbonised energy efficiency solutions in our broad range of school building types.

It is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger schools national programme for the decarbonisation of schools built prior to 2008 as included in the National Development Plan and will play a key part of meeting delivery of the Climate Action Plan.

It is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options, which will have been tried and tested. It is providing valuable development information for a solution driven delivery strategy which will be founded on a solid evidence base that has proven the robustness and scalability of renewable solutions within the schools’ sector. Each school undergoes a comprehensive assessment to ensure that the measures are suitable for that school and will deliver value to both the school and learnings for the national retrofit programme.

The pathfinder programme has retrofitted 48 schools across Ireland to date with work on an additional 16 schools currently at various stages of progress.

This government funded programme targets energy usage and CO₂emission reduction by 51% testing deep retrofit and low carbon heating solutions. The 23/24 programme will see up to 10 further schools benefitting from a selection of energy efficiency works.

The School transport scheme, the pathfinder programme and the school building programme aim to deliver on SDG target 4.a which aims to “ build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all”.