Education JC 28 November 2001

1. The third meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council in Education Sectoral Format was held at the Berkley Court Hotel, Dublin, on 28 November to discuss a number of issues aimed at enhancing co-operation on education matters.

2. The Irish Government was represented by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Michael Woods, TD, who chaired the meeting. The Northern Ireland Executive delegation comprised the Minister for Education, Mr Martin McGuinness, MP, MLA, and Mr Dermot Nesbitt, Minister at the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

3. The Council reviewed progress in each of the key areas for co-operation and underlined the importance of and mutual benefit to be derived from its work. The Council considered a number of progress reports from the Joint Working Groups which were established at a previous meeting of the Education Sectoral Council. The priorities and future work programmes of each of the Groups were agreed, and decisions were taken on a number of specific actions.

4. The Council noted the Scoping Study by the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh on the extent and effectiveness of existing school, youth and teacher exchange programmes. The Council, having regard to the outcomes from the consultative conference on the report which took place on 18 October in Armagh, agreed that there was a need for suitable processes and structures to improve the ways in which exchanges are managed and facilitated. Accordingly the Council agreed in principle to establish an advisory Standing Committee on School, Youth and Teacher Exchanges, with representation from across the various stakeholder groups. The Council resolved to consider proposals for an appropriate delivery mechanism and on the composition of the Standing Committee at its next meeting.

5. In relation to Special Education, where the initial focus is on autism and dyslexia, the Council noted the progress report from the Joint Working Group and agreed a number of actions including the introduction of a special education exchange programme for teachers and the development of complementary parent and teacher videos/CD-ROMs and of guidance material.

6. The Council received a report from the Teachers Superannuation Working Group which had been set up to examine the feasibility and implications of establishing an agreement for the transfer on a North/South basis of superannuation benefits of teachers who move between the jurisdictions to live and work. The Council noted the potential for agreement in this regard and approved further work programme to progress the matter.

7. The Council noted a report from the Teacher Qualifications Working Group which had been established by the Council to examine a range of issues related to teacher mobility. The Council were apprised of and welcomed the intention of the Teacher Education professionals North and South to collaborate on a range of joint issues and noted the significant relaxation of the previous requirement for proficiency in the Irish language in respect of teaching posts. The Council noted that a number of steps had been taken which underpin the conclusions of the Working Group, including the granting of general recognition by the Registration Council of a number of qualifications awarded by the University of Ulster.

8. In another key area, the Council again noted the report from the Literacy and Numeracy Working Group and approved a number of proposed actions including the establishment of arrangements for the exchange of teaching materials.

9. The Council considered the areas for co-operation to promote attendance and retention and endorsed the Joint Working Group's proposals for the dissemination of good practice in this area. The Council also agreed to undertake a targeted Home/School/Community pilot project aimed at improving parental involvement in the North.

10. The Council noted the report from the Joint Working Group and agreed that there was a need to develop a confidential mechanism for the registration of teachers and other workers in the education field who are deemed unsafe to work with children and young people. The Council recognised that this is a complex issue and agreed that it was essential for all jurisdictions to work in collaboration to achieve an effective solution and that appropriate legislation would be required.

11. In the context of co-operation in relation to EU programmes, the Council welcomed the availability of over €5M under Measure 5.5 of the EU Peace 2 programme to promote school and youth co-operation. The Council noted that officials in both Departments have been working closely together to set up administrative procedures so that bids could be invited shortly by the two Education Departments acting jointly for funding for cross-border projects under that Measure.

Joint Secretariat

28 November 2001