The agenda for the National Convention on Education features a heavy focus on viewing children and young people as active citizens whose “civic and democratic” potential could be developed by the education system in future.
Government approval for the agenda for the Convention on Education was secured by Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton earlier this week.
According to the Department, the agenda consists of four central questions focusing on the future of education in Ireland.
A thread running through a number of the questions the Convention is asked to consider is the vision of students and young people as “citizens today”, and what schools can do to develop their “civic and democratic participation and engagement” into the future.
In announcing the agenda for the Convention, Minister Naughton said that “importantly, for the first time, the voice of the child will have equal weighting within this Convention, ensuring that young people are directly heard in decisions that affect their education and their future”.
Among the questions the Government is asking the Convention to discuss are:
The questions were informed by the National Conversation which ran from mid-January to early April this year.
According to the Department, the Conversation involved a national survey which received over 42,000 responses and almost 500 submissions; 10 School Community Engagements in which 171 adults and 256 children and young people participated; and four regional events which saw almost 190 representatives from “local organisations and community groups” give input to the process.
“The Convention agenda has been informed by an independent analysis and consultation with a diversity of stakeholder voices in the regional events,” a spokesperson said.
Commenting on the agreed agenda, Minister Naughton said that she met with Convention participants at their introductory session in Athlone last month, adding “the energy in the room was unmistakable, with a strong sense of purpose and a shared commitment to driving real, positive change in our education system”.
This comes amid a growing focus in Irish education on the inclusion of children and young people in policy-making and system reform, as well as an emphasis on developing the nation’s youths for an active role in civil society.
Late last year, the Department of Education tendered for expert consultancy services to help embed a “culture of meaningful participation of children and young people in policy decision making,” according to a notice posted on Government procurement platform, eTenders.
Similarly, programmes such as ‘Global Citizenship Education’ and educational frameworks such as Aistear, have adopted a view of children, toddlers, and young people as “competent, confident and agentic global citizens”.
That document reads:
“Being agentic means they have voice and influence and that they can make choices about and in their learning. Babies, toddlers and young children have the right to be cared for, nurtured and supported to grow and develop. They can experience democracy by having their voice heard and respected by educators who support active participation. Listening to and learning to respect others and their views is a key part of this. As citizens of the world, babies, toddlers and young children have deep connections with people and the environment, valuing justice and human rights.”