Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

894. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding supports for education for sustainable development groups; if an increase in the level of funding can be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19446/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ireland’s 2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development – ESD to 2030 – aims to ensure that all learners have the knowledge and skills required to promote Sustainable Development (SDG 4.7).

The strategy has five priority areas for action in line with the UNESCO Roadmap for ESD for 2030: Advancing Policy; Transforming Learning Environments; Capacity Building of Educators; Empowering and Mobilising Young People and Accelerating Local Level Action.

The Department has provided funding to organisations and to schools in recent years to support ESD projects aligned to the ESD to 2030 priority areas.

In 2024, the Department delivered €415,000 to organisations supporting ESD in schools and a further €458,000 to schools across the country for their ESD projects.

ESD funding of up to €25,000 was delivered to 20 organisations in 2024 for a wide range of projects including the Wool2Ewe programme, the Wise Water programme, Global Citizenship Schools for their One Minute Video project, The Irish Second Level Students Union (ISSU) for their Debate Your Decision Makers event and Voter Registration Campaign, the Academy of the Near Future in Trinity College for their Design you Future City project in the Gaeltacht region, The Rubbish Film Festival and to a range of other organisations for Teacher Professional Learning programmes and for resources for schools in the area of Sustainable Development.

ESD funding for organisations in 2023 amounted to €267,505 to 12 organisations and in 2022, the first year of funding under ESD to 2030, it was a total of €43,500 to 10 organisations at which time the maximum available to each organisation was €5,000.

A full list of the organisations and projects in receipt of ESD funding from the Department is available on our ESD to 2030 webpage: www.gov.ie/en/publication/02952d-national-strategy-on-education-for-sustainable-development-in-irelan/#esd-to-2030-funding

In addition to this funding, the Department has promoted many of these programmes and resources in our quarterly ESD Newsletter which issues to all schools, and on the Scoilnet ESD resources portal. Many of the organisations are also invited to our Annual ESD Stakeholder Forum.

Funding for organisations for sustainability focused projects is available from a range of sources including the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications who fund for example the An Taisce/ Green Schools programme, and some organisations are in receipt of funding from a range of public bodies including for example, Local Authorities and Erasmus+. The Department highlights other funding opportunities from time to time in the ESD newsletter.

A new call for ESD to 2030 funding for Organisations will be published in our upcoming May issue of the ESD Newsletter. It will invite organisations to apply for funding of up to €25,000 for ESD projects in schools and priority will be given to projects that focus on our priority areas for action, specifically Capacity Building of Educators and Accelerating Local Level Action.

A separate ESD to 2030 funding call for schools will issue in the September issue of the ESD Newsletter. Schools who receive ESD to 2030 funding commit to developing a Sustainability Policy Statement in accordance with the School Sector Climate Action Mandate. The Department has published a Sustainability Toolkit including a Sustainability Policy Statement template, to support schools in this endeavour.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

895. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the merits of providing a multi-annual climate action funds for schools to align with national goals on addressing climate action; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19447/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings as part of our work towards 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design, specification and delivery. My departments policy is supported by a strong research programme with fifty-six research programmes at various stages.

It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the the department’s www.gov.ie/pdf/?file= which was published in 2023 and updated in 2024.

In order to meet our climate action targets, my Department has a number of key climate related initiatives underway. In that regard, I recently announced details of a new Climate Action Summer Works Scheme. Previously named the Summer Works Scheme, it now has a strong climate dimension and enables schools to undertake small and medium scale maintenance and improvement works such as insulation, LED lighting, the provision of EV chargers and bike racks, as well as the traditional maintenance work associated with this scheme.

The Scheme also provides an important opportunity for post-primary schools to undertake refurbishment and improvement works to their science laboratories.

The climate action element of the scheme, will enable schools to continue to select their works category based on their local needs and improve their energy efficiency and reduce their running costs.

Further information on this scheme can be found at the following link www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/press-releases/minister-mcentee-opens-application-process-for-new-climate-action-summer-works-scheme/.