Vol. 429 No. 8
23 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if he has satisfied himself with the approach to arts and culture as outlined in the Green Paper on Education; the consultations he has had with the Minister for Education in this area; and the proposals, if any, he has for the forthcoming White Paper on Education in this regard.
26 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht his views on whether the arts and culture component of the Green Paper on Education is deficient; and if so, the steps, if any, he intends to take to influence events to ensure that this matter is properly addressed.
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 23 agus 26 le chéile.
I regard the arts and culure component of the Green Paper on Education 1992 as being both unsatisfactory and deficient. I very much welcome the fact that the Green Paper argues the need to move away from traditional modes of learning — centred on the acqusition of facts and skills — towards those which favour the development of creativity, critical thinking, problem solving abilities and individual initiative. However, the Green Paper virtually ignores the arts in this context and presents science and technology, business-enterprise studies and European languages as the areas most amenable to the achievement of progress in this regard. Moreover, I am concerned that the Green Paper renders the arts expendable in terms of a framework for the future funding of education.
I am pleased to inform the Deputies who tabled these questions that I have already entered into discussions with the Minister for Education on this subject and that I have available to me submissions from An Chomhairle Ealaíon and individual arts interests on how the proposals in the Green Paper might be improved. My officials are currently studying these submissions and, following this exercise, I will submit my detailed proposals to the Minister for Education setting out how arts and culture should be addressed in the forthcoming White Paper on Education.
