Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:33. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the recommendations in the arts in education charter. [47340/18]
View answerThursday, 15 November 2018
Questions (33, 34)
Niamh Smyth
Question:34. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress that has been made in relation to the implementation of the arts in education charter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47403/18]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 34 together.
The Arts in Education Charter was launched in 2013 as a joint initiative of the then Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, The Department of Education and Skills, working with the Arts Council. A number of commitments were made as part of this process and much progress has been made across all areas of the Charter since its publication.
Six formal reports were submitted to the Minister for Education and Skills and to the then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. These reports have been uploaded to the Arts in Education Portal and are available to view.
As the Deputies are aware, Creative Youth, a plan to enable the creativity of every child and young person was published in December 2017. This Plan aims to ensure that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, arts and coding by 2022. Creative Youth is being implemented by my Department, the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Arts Council, all working in partnership. This Plan is building on the Arts in Education Charter and aims to resource, fast-track and implement the objectives of the Arts in Education Charter as well as rolling out a range of other initiatives.
Examples of initiatives which were kick-started by the Arts in Education Charter and where significant progress has now been made by the various partners involved include:
- ARIS – Arts Rich Schools has evolved into the Creative Schools pilot project initiated this year,
- The expansion of Music Generation has now been included in Creative Youth Programme with the aim of providing nationwide coverage within the lifetime of the Creative Ireland Programme;
- Local Arts Education Partnership (LAEPs) which have evolved into Local Creative Youth Partnerships (LCYPs) and which were initiated this year;
- the ongoing development of the Arts in Education Portal; and
- the continued support for teacher training initiatives.
In addition, a new Expert Advisory group chaired by Dr. Ciaran Benson has been established by me, Minister Bruton, in his previous role as Minister for Education and Skills and Minister Zappone. Their role is to drive the implementation of Creative Youth and the continued roll out of the Arts in Education Charter. They will also advise on the broader long-term objective for the Creative Ireland Programme: to enhance cultural and creative education for all our children and young people.