asked the Minister for Education if she is sponsoring any educational pilot projects at present; if so, if she will give in each case (a) the objects of the projects, quantified and otherwise, (b) its intended duration and cost and (c) the procedure for the monitoring and assessment of the success of the project in terms of its quantified and non-quantified objects, relative to cost.
Written Answers. - Educational Projects.
136.
The following EC educational pilot projects are co-financed by the Department of Education and the European Commission: (1) PETRA; (2) Prolog and knowledge bases in schools; (3) HELIOS; (4) Action research project designed to stimulate the interest and encourage the participation of girls in school activities related to the new technologies and (5) Action research programme on integrating equal opportunities in the curriculum of teacher education.
Details of these projects are as follows: A Council decision of 1 December 1987, adopted a decision on vocational training of young people and their preparation for adult and working life. The programme is known as PETRA. Overall responsibility for the programme in Ireland rests with the Departments of Education and Labour. Executive assistance is provided by the Youth Exchange Bureau.
Aims/Objectives: The main objectives are to raise the standards and quality of vocational training, and improve the preparation of young people for adult life, work and continuing training; to diversify the range of vocational training available for young people with different kinds of ability, and ensuring that it leads to recognised qualifications; and to enhance the capacity of vocational training systems to adapt to economic, technological and social change. Duration: Five years from 1 January 1988.
Cost: The Community directly funds approved projects for the European dimension of the project. In the case of the five educational projects this Department provide some funding for activities at national level. In 1988 and in 1989 the cost of the latter was £137,214.21. Further provision for national activities will be made for the duration of the programme.
Assessment: Within the terms of the council decision of 1 December 1987, the Commission "shall present an interim report and, before the end of 1993, a final report, on the implementation of this programme to the Council and the European Parliament, as well as to the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training and to the Education Committee". The Commission has arranged for assessment of the programme at community level. Each of the two Departments has appointed a national policy co-ordinator who has responsibility for monitoring and assessing the programme at national level.
As regards Prolog and knowledge bases in schools, three countries — Spain, Portugal and England — are taking part in the project which is managed by Ireland. The general aims of the project are to explore the effectiveness of PROLOG in constructing and using knowledge bases in schools; to explore the nature of the contribution that knowledge bases can make to educational interactions; to examine the role of a knowledge base as a teaching tool and to examine the role of a knowledge base as a learning tool.
The educational objectives of the project are knowledge of specifics e.g. facts, formulae, people, events, dates, etc, knowledge of conventions, knowledge of trends, knowledge of classifications and categories, knowledge of criteria, comprehension of relationships and techniques, analysis and question asking skills, hypothesis formation and conjectural skills and evaluation skills.
The duration of the project is two years from 5 November 1988. The project cost is 60,000 ECUs. The end product of the project will be three pieces of courseware on history, mathematics and the humanities. Spanish, Portuguese and English versions will be available. These course-were packages will be field tested first in the host country and then in the other two.
The overall progress of the project is overseen by a steering committee which consists of one member from each of the countries Ireland, Federal Republic of Germany and Denmark. The fourth member of the committee represents the European Commission.
The objective of the Helios Project is to promote the welfare and participation of people with handicaps in open society. It is a three-fold project involving education, social integration and economic aspects.
Each member state has been asked to set up a social model activity which illustrates good practice which is of value in the country of origin and which has aspects which can be of interest throughout the Community. Ireland has identified as its local model activity (LMA) nine educational establishments which exemplify good practice in the education of pupils with disabilities: (1) Bishopstown community school, Cork — hearing disabilities; (2) Rosmini community school, Dublin — pupils with visual and/or physical disabilities; (3) Ballinteer community school, Dublin — pupils with physical disabilities; (4) St. Patrick's national school Drumcondra, Dublin — pupils with mild mental handicap and pupils with specific language difficulties; (5) Holy Child national school, Ballycane, Naas — pupils with mild mental handicap; (6) Presentation Convent national school, Bandon — pupils with moderate mental handicap; (7) Presentation Convent/CBS national school, Mitchelstown — pupils with mild mental handicap; (8) Central Remedial Clinic, Clontarf — microelectronics centre and comprehensive facilities for children with physical disabilities and (9) Thomond College, Limerick — modules in teacher training dealing with disabilities.
The EC pays the cost of the European dimension, i.e. inter-change of personnel on short study visits. Local costs are all borne by individual countries. The cost of the project to the Department is approximately £1,200 in 1989 and £2,000 for each of two successive years. These costs are for local seminars and meetings.
Evaluation is at Community and national level and is by way of reports of visitors and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the activities in the chosen schools.
The objectives of the action research project designed to stimulate the interest and encourage the participation of girls in school activities related to the new technologies are as follows (i) to develop girls' confidence and competence in technology; (ii) to heighten students' awareness of gender stereotyping in work and in society; (iii) to encourage students to re-appraise traditional subject/career choices and (iv) to encourage active participation in planning and decision making, i.e. problem solving.
The project began in January 1987 and it is intended that it will continue until the end of the 1990-1991 academic year. The costs incurred in 1987-88 were £57,000.00 and in 1988-89 £62,000.00.
An external evaluator was appointed to the project. The procedures used by the evaluator for assessing the project included both quantitative and qualitative methods of evaluation — these included pre and post-test questionnaires, an evaluation questionnaire, interview schedules and observation.
The action research programme on integrating equal opportunities in the curriculum of teacher education was launched in 1988 by the Commission of the European Communities under the terms of the Resolution of the Council and of the Minister for Education meeting within the Council of 3 June 1985.
Arising from this the Minister for Education undertook to support six action research projects at national level under the auspices of the following bodies: St. Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra (pre-service primary teacher education); Curriculum Unit, Department of Education, Primary Branch (in-service primary education); Thomond College of Education, Limerick (pre-service and in-service second level teacher education); Education Department, University College, Dublin (pre-service second level teacher education); Teachers Union of Ireland (in-service second level public sector teacher education) and Association of Guidance Counsellor of Ireland (in-service second level teacher education).
At a European level the action research programme has as its goal the implementation of an equal opportunities curriculum in teacher education in all teacher education institutions in member countries, in order that the aims of the resolutions of the Council of Ministers can be achieved. At a national level, the goal is that each of the projects develop an area of the curriculum rather than the whole.
The specific objectives of the project include the following: to raise the level of awareness of equality issues among teachers; to prepare a set of practical guidelines and resource materials for teachers; to develop a module for in-service education; to design and assess materials for use in primary classrooms to promote awareness of equality of opportunity for each gender; to increase an awareness and understanding among second level student teachers of gender inequalities in education; to raise an awareness among teachers of the need to promote equal opportunities for boys and girls in education; to promote non-traditional subject choices and career choices by girls and boys and to develop guidelines on school time-tabling to avoid discrimination on the grounds of sex.
The working phase of the action research programme commenced in September 1988 and will conclude in September 1990. This will be followed by a one year dissemination phase. The cost of the projects in 1988-89 was £42,000 approximately. This represents 50 per cent approximately of the costs of the projects in 1988-89.
A national evaluator has been appointed to externally evaluate all of the projects. The projects have also been internally assessed by the projects directors and teams. Ongoing monitoring by the national co-ordinator and the European co-ordinator culminating in end of year reports is also a feature of assessment.
Eurotecnet is a European Community action programme aimed at the development of the potential of new information technologies in vocational training. Activities are identified in each member state and are incorporated into a network of demonstration projects known as "Eurotecnet". This network examines the ways in which experts in different educational training and industrial settings address common new technology training needs, and provides a forum for exchange of information, ideas and new techniques.
Ireland has three Eurotecnet projects which are outlined as follows: (a) The Industry Linked Control Technology pilot project provides training for selected participants in the vocational preparation and training programme in second level schools in the application of computer control to the production and distribution of goods and services, the development of software packages and the introduction of computer control into enterprises which operated on traditional lines hitherto. The project is due to run for three years from 1 January 1988 to 31 December 1990 at a total cost of £1,084,000. Fifty-five per cent aid from the European Social Fund towards the cost of the project has been approved. The programme aims to establish a close correspondence between the experience provided in the training centres and the reality of a high technology working environment. (b) The database information technology pilot project is intended to train selected participants in the vocational preparation and training programme in second level schools to set up an educational database with links with Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and an other EC member state and with interaction with local and national industrial enterprises. The programme is intended to run for two years (1988 and 1989) at a cost of £815,333. Fifty-five per cent aid from the European Social Fund towards the cost has been approved. The project aims to provide trainees with direct experience of (i) the selection and organisation of data for inclusion in a database, (ii) the establishment of a database, (iii) the processes involved in the networking of a database to a group of centres, and the monitoring and management of such a network, and (iv) interaction with industrial enterprises using advanced technologies. The transmission of quality data through a fast networked communication system is now central to competitive trading. The operation will test the effectiveness of the network approach to the enhancement of learning opportunities for pupils. (c) A training of trainers pilot project has been approved for the period 1 June 1989 to 31 May 1990 to equip the training staff within selected regional technical colleges and colleges of technology with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop appropriate training methodologies in the area of computer integrated manufacture — the application of computerised technologies related to the totality of design, manufacture, production, control and management information systems. The cost of the project is £415,331 and 55 per cent aid from the European Social Fund has been approved.
Each project is being monitored by a team representing the project leaders in each centre and a co-ordinating inspector from my Department. Overall Eurotecnet activity is overseen by a Eurotecnet Planning Group within my Department.
The product development project aims to provide specific training in innovation and enterprise for technically skilled persons so that they can make a significant contribution towards the establishment of new enterprises and the development of local industry. The main areas of training are in product development skills, but training in microcomputing skills and the use of spreadsheet packages for financial modelling in general management applications is also provided. Trainees are shown how to use their technical expertise complied with additional business skills acquired on the programme to develop new products and processes. Through the trainees engaged on the programme there will be increased interaction for the Dublin Institute of Technology (Bolton St.) with local industry. The project is due to run for three years, from July 1987 to 30 June 1990, and is being evaluated by external consultants. The total cost is £812,780 and 55 per cent aid from the European Social Fund has been approved.
Two educational pilot projects in primary education are being sponsored by my Department of Education at present. These are (i) development education in Irish primary schools and (ii) Scéim Phiolotach sa Ghaeilge. The aims of the projects are as follows: (i) Development Education: this project is being organised in conjunction with the Development Education Support Centre (DESC) to pilot a whole school approach to introducing development education into the primary curriculum in a variety of primary schools; and to examine the outcomes of the project with a view to making a proposal to the Department of Education on the integration of development education into the primary school curriculum. (ii) Scéim Phiolotach sa Ghaeilge: A pilot scheme to promote a more effective use of oral Irish in primary and post-primary schools has been established in a north Dublin urban district. The objectives of the scheme are to further emphasise the importance of oral Irish; to ensure continuity between first level and second level schools in the learning of Irish; and to ensure the active support of parents in promoting the Irish language.
Duration and cost are as follows: (i) Development Education: Resourced by DESC. £2,000 (ii) Scéim Phiolotach sa Ghaeilge: This scheme is being funded jointly by Bord na Gaeilge and the Department of Education and will cost £15,000 per annum. The scheme will last two years.
As regards procedures for assessment and monitoring of the projects: (i) in Development Education the work done in the schools has been evaluated by the inspectors and by DESC personnel. A report is being compiled for the Department; (ii) in Scéim Phiolotach sa Ghaeilge, an organiser has been appointed to co-ordinate the scheme and to monitor its progress. It is also intended that Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann will have a role in the assessment procedure.
Three educational pilot projects in post-primary education are being sponsored by my Department at present.
These are: (1) the development of educational resource materials on AIDS. The objective is the development of educational resource materials on AIDS in relation to pupils aged 14-18 years.
The duration of the pilot phase is the first term of the 1989/90 school year.
The cost to the Department of Education will be £8,000 approximately. The project is sponsored by the Department of Education and the Department of Health and it is being monitored by both those Departments;
(2) the junior certificate course in technology. The objective is to provide technology as an optional subject for pupils in post-primary schools. Some £330,000 in grants and inservice training costs is being made available for the project in the current financial year. The programme is being introduced on a phased basis to permit its orderly implementation and monitoring of its development by the inspectorate of the Department of Education. For the 1989/90 school year the programme is restricted to 62 schools.
(3) In the humanities/SESP programmes there are two projects — the humanities programme under the City of Dublin VEC Curriculum Development Unit and the Social and Environmental Studies Programme (SESP) operated by Shannon Curriculum Development Centre — which have been in operation in a number of post-primary schools. The new junior certificate syllabuses owe much to the experience gained through such projects. The object is to ensure that needs identified through the pilot projects in those areas are addressed with special reference to the needs of weaker students. People who began humanities/SESP programmes in September 1989 have been given the option of transferring to standard junior certificate syllabuses in English, history and geography and of sitting the standard junior certificate examination in 1992. For this reason definitive costs are not readily available.