Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
513. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of times an organisation (details supplied) has requested a meeting with her; and the number of meetings that have actually taken place. [56831/23]
View answerThe ETBsNPA initially requested a meeting in April 2023 and has since followed up on this request on two further occasions. As advised to the ETBsNPA in response, my Department is in the process of arranging a meeting with the National Parents Council Post Primary to finalise a number of outstanding issues. Once these matters are resolved, the Department intends to meet, as appropriate, with other parties, including the ETBsNPA.
The voice of parents is of critical importance to the Department of Education. In December 2022, in order to ensure continuity of support for parents, the Department of Education requested the National Parents’ Council primary to extend its remit and support to post-primary parents. Parent councils or associations in schools are not impacted by this decision.
I understand the National Parents Council primary is actively working to ensure that post-primary parents receive a comprehensive support service and is reaching out to post-primary parents and other interested stakeholders, - including former constituent bodies of the NPCpp, such as the ETBsNPA - in this respect. The Department urges everyone with an interest in the voice of the parent (and student) in Irish education to engage positively with this new arrangement in the interest of ensuring a strong parent voice in education.
