Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 July 2021
11. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the status of the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019; her plans to proceed with the Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34788/21]
View answerI want to ask the Minister the status of the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019; her plans to proceed with the Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Again I wish to acknowledge that this is something of particular interest to the Deputy on which he has engaged with me on an ongoing basis and I wish to express my appreciation for that.
The Deputy will be aware that the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 completed all Stages of the Seanad in 2019. I confirm that the Department is currently awaiting an Order for Second Stage in the Dáil, at which time the Bill will be read a Second Time and continue through the legislative process. I would like to see that happen as quickly as possible. It is a key priority for the Department, given the Bill's potential to enhance school relations and communications.
I support the overall aim of this legislation, which is to improve the level of engagement between the school community by inviting feedback, comment and observations from students and parents and by further developing a listening culture in our schools and stronger liaison within school communities. The legislation will help ensure that schools, students and parents continue to work in partnership effectively together and will provide greater clarity for students and their parents on what they can expect from schools. One of the key concepts of the Bill is the need for a school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities. The detail on the manner in which schools will consult with, seek feedback from and respond to students and their parents will be set out in the charter guidelines, to be published following consultation with education stakeholders.
Once the legislation is enacted, detailed work will be undertaken on developing the national charter guidelines in consultation with the education partners. The consultation process will be an important element in ensuring that the guidelines achieve their objective in a manner that is as straightforward and effective as possible, both for schools and for students and their parents. My officials within the Department will continue to work on progressing this important legislation.
I thank the Minister. She will agree with me that it is important that we put children and young people at the centre of the education discussion and for far too long that has not been the case. It has been remarked to me on a number of occasions that what the Department tends to understand better than anything else are teachers and buildings but that when it comes to young people and children, they are too often not at the heart of our education discussions.
I want to pay tribute to the Minister on the leaving certificate discussions. She put the voice of the student at the heart of all those discussions. They were at the table, they were listened to and they were consulted with. At the end of the day, the Minister listened and acted on what they felt was best for their cohort. That is to the Minister's credit and we have had a better leaving certificate process as a result of that and the Minister's open-mindedness. A definite timeline for this would be appreciated and would represent progress.
I appreciate the Deputy's comments and I am in entire agreement with him. I strongly believe in the partnership approach in education. I also want to acknowledge that we see that work very effectively in many schools. As the Deputy has referenced the pandemic, we have seen extraordinary examples of that working so well and significantly to facilitate schools and school communities to journey through the pandemic. From my experience I know that a school community is strongest when it works together and when all voices are at the table. I want to give the Deputy an absolute commitment that it is a key priority for my Department and for myself to move this as quickly as we possibly can. We are awaiting an Order for Second Stage in the Dáil. At such time, as the Deputy will appreciate, it will be read a Second Time and it will go through the legislative process. We will do all that we can so that this will be expedited as quickly as possible.
I appreciate the Minister's comments. We share the ambition of putting the child and the student at the heart of the education discussion. Schools have broken up for the summer. Yesterday would have been the last day for many primary schoolchildren. They are moving on to the next stage of their education and some of them are moving into second level. Can I ask the Minister about the commitment she gave a month ago on a catch-up fund? I was appreciative of the Minister's comments that Senator Bacik and I have been campaigning on this since last February and the Minister made a commitment on 3 June that a catch-up fund would be announced to enable children, not just in terms of a summer programme but over the course of the next year, to repair some of the damage that has been caused by the lack of in-school teaching. There was teaching and learning going on but as the Minister knows, much of it was outside of school and done remotely. Can I get an update on the Minister's intention to announce and fund a catch-up fund for next year?
I can confirm that we are working on a support fund and support resource for schools in acknowledgement of the position in which we find ourselves in the pandemic and the loss on occasion of in-person teaching and learning. From the point of view of school staff I want to acknowledge that this was notwithstanding the remote learning that was provided by schools. I am conscious of the importance of in-person teaching and learning. I am also conscious of the need to make provision for supports for the new school year and that is a priority. I am pleased to say that we have made significant advancement in it. It is a body of work that requires resourcing and that demands imagination and appreciation of where the specifics are to make resources available to schools. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement on it shortly. I acknowledge that the Deputy has referenced the summer provision plan. For the first time that is open to all schools with a budget of €40 million and there has been an enormously positive uptake in it. I look forward to being in a position to be able to make an announcement shortly on the broader plan for school return. I cannot give the Deputy the specific date but it is on its way.
