Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2023
203. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education if it is expected that a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education will be established during the lifetime of the Government; and, if so, when it is expected that its terms of reference will be published. [43766/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to establishing a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education ensuring that the voices of young people and those being educated are central.
The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use is currently underway and is scheduled to complete its work by the end of 2023.
The establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education and its Terms of Reference will be the subject of a Government decision and resolutions of the Dáil and Seanad at the appropriate time. Citizens’ Assemblies operate independently of the Government with secretariat support provided by the Department of the Taoiseach.
My officials have engaged in ongoing contact with the Department of the Taoiseach and ongoing discussion with key stakeholders across school communities on the Programme for Government commitment and will continue to do so. My Department recently contributed to the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs, outlining the work at curriculum development level and at school level to ensure age and stage appropriate information on substance misuse is available to that our children and young people, and to provide information on the supports available to school communities through a range of work by my Department and its agencies and across government.
The commitment in the Programme for Government also states that the voices of young people and those being educated are central to this Assembly. The impact that children and young people have on shaping their own learning experiences is a focus of the work of my Department. Through this process we will work with children and young people to support the inclusion of their voices in the Assembly’s deliberations, as well as through any consultation process that I may establish. We will also continue to listen carefully to the views of parents, teachers, school leaders and all those in school communities who help shape our education system.
