Written Answers. - Equality Promotion.
Austin Currie
Ceist:
131
Mr. Currie
asked the
Minister for Education
if she will give details of the equality measures promoted by the equality committee in her Department since she took office; the result of such promotion; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[1211/94]
The Equality Working Group in my Department co-ordinates and monitors departmental activities relating to equality of opportunity for girls and boys in education. It ensures that all gender interventon projects, initiated by my Department, are monitored and evaluated.
Since I took office in 1993 the measures-activities undertaken largely focus on the primary and post-primary sector. This is in order to introduce both girls and boys to non-traditional subject choices at an early age to ensure that the manner in which programmes are delivered does not unwittingly reinforce gender bias.
Measures-activities include: (a) a series of regional seminars organised in 1993 following the national dissemination of the FUTURES project. This was followed by three joint seminars organised by my Department and the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland — ASTI. The focus of these seminars was on gender issues relating to post-primary education with particular reference to encouraging greater participation by girls in non-traditional career paths; (b) dissemination of results of the intervention projects in physics and chemistry. These projects were designed to encourage more girls to study these subjects by introducing them into schools in which they were previously unavailable; (c) the development of science resource centres to provide support and encouragement to schools and teachers in promoting the benefits of following senior cycle programmes in the physical sciences; (d) participaton by my Department in exhibitions-seminars organised to promote science and technology; (e) an awareness pack distributed to all primary schools earlier this year. The pack contained copies of recent relevant reports including the GEAR report on the gender gap in primary schools and the report on the elimination of sexism and sex stereotyping in textbooks; (f) the funding of a manual to accompany a video on sex stereotyping produced by the Irish Advisory Group of the European Commission Network on Diversification of Vocational Choice for Young and Adult Women. My Department also undertook the distribution of the manual and video to schools; (g) in 1993 my Department commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute to carry out a comprehensive research project on co-education in second-level schools. The project is due to be completed in the 1995-96 school year; (h) all in-service courses for primary and post-primary teachers approved by the Incareer Development Unit of my Department include a module on gender equity or actively promote gender equity; (i) increased provision for career guidance in post-primary schools. Thirty ex-quota whole-time equivalent career guidance posts were allocated and a further 45 whole-time equivalent posts have been allocated in 1994. This service will be further enhanced by the National Guidance Centre which is in the process of being established; (j) the nomination of an equality officer in my Department to develop and implement an equal opportunities policy; (k) I am currently bringing before the Dáil amendments to the Dublin Institute of Technology Act, 1992, and the Regional Technical Colleges Act, 1992, to facilitate the implementation of the Government's gender balance policy on the selection and appointment of governing bodies; (l) in line with a recommendation of the Second Commission on the Status of Women, my Department has set up a committee to review the recruitment, development and working procedures of primary and post-primary school inspectors with the aim of increasing the number of women inspectors. The committee is chaired by the chief inspector of my Department; (m) under the New Opportunities for Women — NOW — Programme, initiatives for the recruitment of more women students in non-traditional areas are taking place in Cork Regional Technical College and the Dublin Institute of Technology. Further initiatives are anticipated in other colleges. In October 1993, a new B.A. evening course in women's studies commenced in University College Dublin The Women's Education Research and Resource Centre at UCD also offers an MA course and a postgraduate diploma as well as an evening non-graduate certificate course. The National Unit for Equal Opportunities was established in University College Cork with assistance from the Higher Education Authority to collect and distribute information on gender issues in higher education; (n) my Department funded the "Role Model" booklet produced by Women in Technology and Science — WITS — Group; (o) a project entitled "Boys and Girls come out to Play" was conducted and published by the Physical Education Association of Ireland in 1993. This research was funded by my Department and monitored by the Sports Research Committee.
The reaction to these initiatives have been very positive. The Physics and Chemistry Intervention Projects have attracted substantial interest from many groups. OECD have expressed great interest in the projects and have carried out an in-depth study of them.
The framework and materials of the Diversification Project currently being undertaken by the Flemish Community in Belgium is based on the FUTURES project. The class materials developed as part of this project is in its third print.
In relation to the provision of in-service training, participant reactions to training courses on gender equity have been very positive. However, the results of some of the initiatives I have described will not, of their nature, be fully evident for some time. However, I am convinced that the removal of barriers to complete access to the full range of what our educational system has to offer both girls and boys can only have positive results.
