Vol. 380 No. 6
asked the Minister for Education if she will take steps to include local parents' associations in a similar fashion at the present teacher advisory group which is facilitated in the deed of trust for community and comprehensive schools in view of the anxiety of parents to become actively involved since the establishment of the National Parents' Council.
31.
asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has to extend the role of parents at every level in education.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 31 together.
One of the principal reasons for having a National Parents' Council is to enable parents to play a full part in consultation with the Minister about the development of educational policies. Since the establishment of the council with its primary and post-primary tiers, it has been consulted on major educational issues. It is my intention to continue these valuable consultations which can now be held on a basis genuinely representative of parent opinion.
In the case of primary schools, there are two parents' elected representatives on each national school board of management and the views of parents are represented at national level by the primany tier of the National Parents' Council. Representatives of the council are included on the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum and on the Primary Education Review Body.
The deeds of trust for community schools provide for parental representation on the boards of management, but not on the advisory committees which are intended for the teaching staff. It is not open to me to alter the deeds of trust unilaterally.
