Ruane discusses key issues at NSMC meeting in Armagh
Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, today
attended the latest meeting of the North South Ministerial Council in
Education Sectoral Format in Armagh.
Mary Coughlan TD, Tánaiste and Minister for
Education and Science, chaired the meeting, which was also attended by
Danny Kennedy, Minister for Employment and Learning.
Speaking after the meeting, which was held at the NSMC’s Joint Secretariat office in Armagh, Minister Ruane said: “Co-operation
with our education counterparts in the south of Ireland through the
Council is a central tenet of the Good Friday Agreement and is vital in
examining the common issues that affect the island as a whole.
“The Council continues to make good
progress in key areas, including tackling underachievement and promoting
teacher education. Raising literacy and numeracy levels remains a
priority, as shown by the performance of students from the north
compared to other European countries in the recent PISA assessment.
Initiatives such as Children’s Book Week held in October and a
North-South conference on literacy to be held next month are helping
address this in a collaborative way.
“The Council also discussed provision for
children with special educational needs and our commitment to the
Middletown Centre for Autism. My officials have met with their
counterparts in DES to discuss the further development of the phased
multi-annual plan for the Centre.
“We also received an interesting and
enlightening presentation from TJ O’Ceallaigh of the Professional
Development Service for Teachers and Seán MacCorraidh of the Curriculum,
Advisory and Support Services on the excellent work being done to
promote the professional development of teachers in the Irish Medium
sector both north and south.”