Education (Amendment) Bill 2010

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills  publishes the Education (Amendment) Bill 2010 – paving the way for VEC involvement in primary education and making a number of other important changes to the Education and Teaching Council Acts

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan TD, today published the Education (Amendment) Bill which provides for a legislative framework to allow Vocational Education Committees to become involved in primary education provision.   

 
Publishing the Education (Amendment) Bill, the Tánaiste said 'The changing shape of Irish society is placing new and complex demands on our education system in responding to the diverse needs of our communities. 

'A new model of community national school, which is being piloted in two locations in Dublin since September 2008 and three further locations in Counties Dublin, Kildare and Meath since September 2010, seeks to meet the need for a new form of plurality of education provision within the framework of a single school setting.  

'This Bill provides for the establishment of community national schools under VEC patronage and, in certain circumstances, for a VEC to become patron or joint patron of an existing primary school.'

The Tánaiste added that she was also availing of the opportunity that this Bill provides, to bring forward a number of other important amendments to the Education Act 1998 and the Teaching Council Act 2001. 

'The Bill provides for clarification in relation to the delivery of speech therapy services to students; the abolition of the Educational Disadvantage Committee; and arrangements for the employment, in certain exceptional and limited circumstances, of persons who are not registered teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001.'

The Tánaiste concluded by saying 'My core objective is to maintain the focus on providing the best education for all our children in a time of increasing diversity of demand and challenging economic conditions.'

The Education (Amendment) Bill 2010 is available to download on the Oireachtas website www.oireachtas.ie via the following link

http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=16121&&CatID=59

The main provisions of the Bill are:

Powers and duties of vocational educational committees in relation to primary schools

The Bill provides for the involvement of a VEC in the provision of primary education both on its own initiative and on the direction of the Minister.  Subject to the consent of the Minister, a VEC may establish and maintain a school to provide primary education, and may become patron or joint patron of an existing primary school.

Composition of boards of management

The Bill provides that the board of management of a school established under this legislation will adhere to the procedures governing the appointment of boards of management in other recognised primary schools

.

Clarification on the delivery of speech therapy services to students

The Bill provides for an amendment in the definition of ‘support services’ in the Education Act 1998 in order to clarify the position in relation to delivery of speech therapy services and other health and personal services to students of school-going age.

The proposed provisions will not impact on the availability of speech therapy services for children with special educational needs through the HSE. The Department’s commitment to support the co-ordinated delivery of services to families of children with special educational needs is not diminished. The Department will continue to work with partners in the health and disability sectors through the vehicle of the Cross-Sectoral Team, as established under the auspices of the Office of the Minister for Equality, Disability and Mental Health, and the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group (NDSSMG).

Abolition of the Educational Disadvantage Committee

The Bill supports the Government decisions on rationalisation of agencies in the 2008 Budget.  It provides for the abolition of the EDC, a formal statutory Committee which is no longer required in order to advise on the issue of educational disadvantage. 

The Department is committed to maintaining ongoing consultation with the education partners and other stakeholders on educational disadvantage and the wider social inclusion agenda. The Department will also continue to implement DEIS, the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, which provides for the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities.

Employment, in certain exceptional and limited circumstances, of persons who are not registered teachers

The Bill provides for the employment, in certain exceptional and limited circumstances, of persons who are not registered teachers following consultation with management, unions and the Teaching Council.  The reality facing schools is that it is not always possible to engage a registered teacher due to many factors, e.g. geographical, increases in population and allocation of additional posts, despite the maintenance of a high level of output of graduates.