Department reneging on its duties, says parents' council

The Department of Education and Science is putting economic considerations ahead of schoolchildren's safety and creating a "worrying vacuum at the heart of the education system", the chief executive of the National Parents Council (Primary) (NPC) has said.

Fionnuala Kilfeather, speaking at the NPC's annual delegate conference in Dublin at the weekend, said the move by the department to put responsibility for what happens in schools on boards of management was misguided.

"It seems pretty clear that the ultimate responsibility rests with the State," she said.

"The State, through the Minister for Education [ Mary Hanafin] has the constitutional responsibilities and exercises financial authority; it sets laws and regulations. It sets the curriculum and State exams. It evaluates the quality of what happens in the schools. With so much authority how can they say that the responsibility all lies with the boards?

"By attempting to distance itself from responsibility for children's safety and wellbeing while in school, the department and Minister are surely reneging on their duties," she said.

"The concern to protect the State's finances would appear to be taking precedence over the duty to protect the State's children."

Conference delegates passed an emergency motion calling on the Minister to "amend the Education Act, 1998, so it puts the responsibility for providing education for our children on the Department of Education and Science and not on the boards of management."

Francis Linden, chairman of the council, called for greater work through parent associations to "promote respect and inclusion for newcomer parents and children, for children with disabilities and for our Traveller community, for lone parents and people of differing religions".

He also said parents had "deep concerns" about safety travelling to and from schools.

"A study of the age profile of buses used to bring children to school is urgent. It is also of the highest importance that escorts are provided on buses that bring children with special needs to mainstream school. A driver cannot supervise and drive safely at the same time. It is completely unreasonable to expect that he or she can," Mr Linden said.

He said languages should be taught to every 5th and 6th class pupil, adding the council has sought this for some time.

"We again demand a modern language for all children."