Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I was pleased to meet with the Secretary of State for Education, the Right Honorable Gillian Keegan MP, on 16 November 2023 at the Department for Education offices in London.

At the meeting we discussed areas of mutual interest: the use of smart phones by young people; the emerging impact of generative artificial intelligence on teaching, learning and assessment; and her proposals for the Advance British Standards and the redevelopment of Senior Cycle in Ireland.

Generative AI has huge potential for teaching, learning and assessment. I want to ensure that young people can benefit from the paradigm shift that AI presents and prepare them for an AI world; but I also want to safeguard against the potential challenges that any evolving technology may bring.

We also discussed the redevelopment Senior Cycle in Ireland and Secretary Keegan’s proposals to reform the A-Levels in England. On 20 September, I announced accelerated plans for a redeveloped Senior Cycle. Commencing from 2025, students in fifth year will be following new and revised curricula for the first tranche of subjects; with additional tranches to be available thereafter on an annual basis. All new and revised subjects will have additional assessment components, worth a minimum of 40 percent of the available marks. These additional assessment components will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission (SEC).

We also discussed the challenges of smartphone usage among young people. Smartphones play a central part in all aspects of modern life, and I acknowledge that they, as well as the online world they are used to access, are now part of the daily lives of our young people. I have heard the concerns of parents and schools in respect of smart phone usage among primary school children in particular - including risks of cyberbullying, exposure to violence and sexual content, and reduction of sleep. I have recently announced the roll out of a number of resources aimed at supporting parents and school communities tackle the negative impact of smartphone usage among young children.