The joint agreement between Micheal Martin and David Blunkett was copperfastened last week over a couple of pints. It was a historic moment. One part of the agreement - that the Irish language be included on the British national curriculum - was one issue in particular that highlighted for many the significance of the meeting.

The two men, after months of discussions between the their department officials, were able to meet in Dublin for a joint announcement. Together in the morning at Martin's ministerial offices, both smiling and pleased with themselves, they launched a series of joint initiatives. Then they enjoyed a taste of Cork in Dublin for lunch - with the assistance of a couple of pints of Murphy's, of course. The lunch in the pub which inspired the "Doheny and Nesbitt school of politics" phrase, was just a further extension of the friendly business relationship which has characterised the attitude of the ministers to each other; there is a personal chemistry between them, more than one official reports, that did not exist between previous incumbents of the jobs.

To be organised jointly by the Department of Education and Science and the British Secretary of State for Education and Employment, the initiatives are aimed at developing educational links between the two countries.

Three educational areas have been singled out for development. One is to be the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in education. Two further initiatives involve youth and school exchanges; a fund of up to £120,000 from each side has been allocated for these. Tripartite discussions between officials in Dublin, London and Belfast have been ongoing. Last December, the two department heads agreed what was signed officially on Wednesday and also that a conference will be held in Dublin Castle next spring to look at how ICT can be used in education to the mutual benefit of both countries.

Last week the two agreed that this conference will focus on both the public and private sector partnerships in education and the problems and challenges with regard to educational software and ICT in the curriculum.

The Department of Education and Science pinpoints a number of examples of co-operation already established in teacher training. A link exists between St Mary's, Belfast, and the Mater Dei Institute, Dublin, which involves visits and exchanges between students and teachers. NUI Maynooth and University of Ulster, Jordanstown, also has a project in the early stages of development involving students and teacher exchanges. Under the European Structures Project, which has been in place since 1986, some 400 schools around Europe are involved in exchanges

Martin and Blunkett stressed that the two initiatives to strengthen youth and school exchanges "will increase contact between the young people of these islands". The youth initiative will comprise short study visits, thematic training opportunities, co-operation projects, seminars and conferences. The schools initiative will involve institutional partnerships, such as joint curriculum projects, teacher exchanges and joint field trips.

One of the most significant announcements by the two department heads was the decision to include the Irish language in the British national curriculum from next September. "This will recognise the importance of acknowledgement of the Irish language both for the Irish community in Britain and for inter-community relations in these islands more generally," said Blunkett.

Martin says this development will put Irish on a equal footing with other modern languages such as French and German.

The new co-operation between the two departments follows on from the Belfast Agreement. Education and training is to play an important role in the promotion of mutual understanding. The education sector "can contribute to the development of mutually beneficial relationships between the peoples of these islands, particularly with the framework of the proposed British-Irish Council."

The two departments will continue to explore new ideas. Both ministers agree that young people who have left or who are at risk of leaving the education system with few or no qualifications should be a priority for all relevant EU and national initiatives. They also discussed the training for adults, identifying literacy and guidance as key issues. They agreed that department officials should explore the potential for co-operation in these areas.