Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2004
9 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of second level schools which have established student councils in accordance with the terms of the Education Act 1998; the steps being taken to encourage other schools to establish such councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5257/04]
View answerMy Department has recently completed a survey of all post-primary schools on this issue. Student councils have been established in 558 of the 743 schools surveyed. Under section 27 of the Education Act 1998, students in a post-primary school may establish a student council whose role is to promote the involvement of students in the affairs of the school in co-operation with the board of management, parents and teachers. This development originated in my Department's recognition that students have a voice and contribution to make to their school. These councils can play an integral and important role in the school community by providing a representative structure through which students can debate issues of concern and undertake initiatives of benefit to the school and the wider community.
My Department issued comprehensive guidelines on student councils to all second level schools in 2002. These provide practical guidance to school management, teachers and students on the establishment and operation of student councils. Officials of my Department are participating in a working group on student councils that was established in June 2003 by the National Children's Office. The group comprises representatives of students and all the partners in education and will work to encourage the establishment of effective and democratic student councils in all second level schools in the country.
The group will examine the number, composition and operation of existing student councils in second level schools and will seek to identify the barriers, if any, to the establishment of student councils. The National Children's Office has recently invited tenders for the appointment of a researcher to support the work of the working group. The group will report on its findings, including a proposed three year strategy to support the establishment and development of student councils, to my colleague, the Minister of State with special responsibility for children, by December 2004.
The number of schools that have student councils, which has increased in the recent past, is encouraging. I understand from a previous reply that there may be 100 schools in the State that do not have boards of management. When there is no board of management, it is almost impossible to establish a student council as these are established under such boards. Does the Minister intend to do anything about the schools without boards of management? Has the Minister met the national association of school students, an umbrella body for school councils? I have found it to include a responsible group of young people who are encouraging the establishment of student councils in schools that do not already have them.
While I am speaking off the top of my head, there are 100 or 110 schools that do not have boards of management. A number of these schools do not have boards of management because of an ongoing difficulty regarding their legal status. We are pursuing the matter of establishing boards of management with the schools in question. Apart from meeting student councils in schools, the only second level student body I have met is the Union of Secondary Students.
That is the correct name of the body to which I referred.
Officials of my Department have met this body on a number of occasions. I agree with the Deputy that the number of student councils that have been established is encouraging. However, I am unsure whether there is a uniform agreement or standard of response to student councils. This is why the working group has been established. While the councils are good, democratic and have a direct input into certain schools, they may not be as good in other schools. The purpose of the working group is to ensure the councils have a real say in issues that affect students and schools generally.
I know the Minister has met the body and I spoke to last year's president of the Union of Secondary Students a number of times. While each school may have a student council, it can be difficult for them to meet. Does the Minister have any proposals to fund the union so that students from different schools can get more involved together?
The Union of Secondary Students requested money when I met it. I laid down the conditions under which I would provide money. For example, I asked for a business plan and details of how the union would operate and spend the funds. The view has recently been expressed that Comhairle na nÓg and Dáil na nÓg operate to look after the views of young people. We try to ensure their findings are worked into policy. It has been said that we should avoid moving from circumstances where young people had no voice to having diverse voices. It might be as well to work through one body.
It would be good to get diverse voices of young people.
I know. Comhairle na nÓg and Dáil na nÓg cater for people under 18 and it might be better to follow this route.
Has a report been issued by the working group on the participation on student councils? A report would be useful to examine the levels of participation in disadvantaged areas in comparison to better off areas. If this is not happening, does the Minister acknowledge that it is crucial it should be done? Student councils enable better participation by students in a democratic process and may, for example, encourage people to vote. Such councils may also make students feel that they have more of a shareholding in society.
The group was established in June 2003. It has had a number of meetings and has decided to do what the Deputy has suggested. It proposes to conduct research to establish what is happening within schools, what effect student councils have and what status their voice has. This is why the researcher is being appointed. The group hopes to have this research completed and make a report available to me by the end of 2004.
The group is trying to agree a meaningful role for student councils, identify barriers to the establishment of such councils, identify the measures needed to encourage them, identify the required training needs and resource materials, make recommendations about training resource materials not only for students, but also for all the education partners to facilitate this, manage and develop the production of resource and training teachers and promote and publicise the importance of establishing student councils.
The group is focused on getting the councils up and running. I am sure that when they are in place, the experience of being involved in the process will help produce more civic-minded students. For this to work, student councils must be listened to.
My sister would tell the Minister this. She is a member of the council in her school.
This has the potential to produce — I hate to use the term — civic-minded citizens who know that the democratic process can make change. If that is their experience, that will be positive. If the experience is the opposite, the effect will be the reverse, so we must ensure that they work well.
Does Deputy Crowe have a supplementary question?
The question has been asked.
