Ireland has a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to change the State’s education system, Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton has said.
Speaking at the launch of the National Conversation on Education in Dublin on Wednesday, Ms Naughton said the outcome of the process will “help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come”.
Members of the public and organisations who wish to take part in the process are asked to complete an online survey before February 28th.
Parents, teachers, childminders and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the survey.
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A number of community engagement events will also take place across the country to gather people’s views.
The convention on Education, chaired by Prof Anne Looney, will meet four times from May to November to discuss the topics raised. A report will then be compiled for the Government.
Ms Naughton said she wants the process to be “an open and honest conversation about the totality of our education system, and what it needs to do to ensure that our young people are properly equipped for life after school”.
Speaking about some of the challenges facing education and young people, the minister singled out the advent of artificial intelligence.
She said the technology has “endless potential uses we haven’t even begun to explore and realise” but also leads to “profound questions”.
“The challenge our education system faces is how to equip the young people of today with the necessary skills to help them thrive and adapt in an ever-changing world, where AI is a reality.”
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A separate survey on early childhood care will be launched by the Department of Children in February.
Minister for Children Norma Foley said her department wants to hear from families, early years educators, and school-age childcare practitioners and providers.
Ms Foley said the launch of the process marks “a pivotal moment in Irish education”.
Stressing the importance of early education, she said: “The earlier we provide access to education for children, the better the outcome for the child.
“Early childhood education is crucial because it is the first stage of the educational journey.
“Research tells us that early childhood experiences affect the development of the brain’s architecture, marking the period from birth to six years of age as one of the most sensitive and most significant stages on the lifelong education journey.
“Research further tells us that the number of words in a three-year-old’s vocabulary can predict their reading ability later in life.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education Michael Moynihan encouraged people to take part in the consultation process.
“It is vital that as many people as possible have their say so we can have a school system that is ready to shape and respond to our changing needs over that time.”
Mr Moynihan told the launch “one of the biggest challenges we have is the amount of people that are leaving education early”, saying this will result in “major challenges for society into the future”.
He said this is a “crucial” area that needs to be examined in order to ensure the State has “an education system fit for purpose”.
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