Millennium fever grips second-level parent group

THE END OF THE WORLD is upon us all, and only those who repent will escape the jaws of death. As a result, mildly hysterical reviews of the past, and resolutions for how one might improve in the future (if given the chance), are going on across the globe. Not even the would-be movers and shakers in the education system here in Ireland are immune. The theme of this years annual delegate conference of the National Parents Council (Post-Primary) is - wait for it - The Millennium. Perhaps not surprisingly, so, the attendence is expected to be higher than ever before, with 150 pondering parents descending on Wexford town from April 23rd to 25th. Professor John Coolahan of NUI Maynooth will give the keynote speech on education and the millennium - looking at how things have gone in recent years in Ireland and what sort of challenges we might anticipate for the future.

The role of parents in the education system has developed significantly in the past 10 years. According to Rose Tully, president of the NPC(PP), "we have moved on an enormous amount, from the days when parents where afraid to talk to teachers to the sort of parental involvement in a system of education which centres around partnership which we have today. "Parents are represented on expert working groups, consultative bodies and made both aural and written submissions on matters relating to education," Tully says. "Hopefully we will be able to continue to play a major part on the Irish education process."

As always, there will be a number of workshops at the conference. Among them will be ones looking at using information technology in schools; other workshops will examine food and nutrition, and there will also be a workshop on coping with the trauma of sudden death.

As yet, motions for the conference are still being collated, but the implementation of the Relationships and Sexuality Education programme will probably provoke one of the more heated discussions over the course of the weekend. Not all parents are behind the programme; however, the council is campaigning vigorously for its whole-scale introduction. Another likely bone of contention is the appointment of parents to the Vocational Education Committees around the State. An NPC(PP) statement declares: "We are extremely disappointed that the changes in the 1930 VEC Act which would allow parental representation on the VECs has not been implemented in time for the June local elections, despite earlier assurances that it would be."

In the past year, parents have expressed concern about procedures for suspending and expelling students. The conference will look at ways to compel schools to notify parents within a reasonable time of the suspension dates, the length of the suspension and the reasons for it.

Putting school transport on a statutory basis, reducing the weight of schoolbags, and representation for parents in the whole-school evaluation process will also come up for discussion. The council will be calling for an increase in the provision of guidance services to students and parents, and for the resources targeted at educational disadvantage to reach those areas where they will be most effective. Looking back over the year's developments, Tully cites, as the most significant achievement, "statutory recognition for the National Parents Council (Post Primary), under the Education Act 1998. Under this legislation, the council now has a statutory right to consultation no educational issues. "This is a wonderful achievement for parents, their children and all of the partners involved in education," she says.

INITIATIVES THE NPC(PP) was involved in over the past year include: the publication of information leaflets, Introducing Your Child to Second Level and Parents in Guidance; a survey on underage drinking; a video entitled Let's Talk Drugs with Parents; offering trained facilitators to parents' associations for a variety of modules looking at the active participation of parents in the wider school community.

The council is also involved in ongoing research into bullying at school; an independent report on the cost of going to school; and an independent evaluation of Transition Year.