PARENTS voted at the weekend to put school transport, drugs awareness, inadequate" psychological post primary services and exam fees at the top of the general election agenda.
"We will be posing some stiff questions for all the political parties and we will be making their responses known to all the parents in this country before they cast their votes," Mr Sean Mitchell president of the National Parents' Council PostPrimary, told the organisation's annual conference in Cork.
The conference voted to make the abolition of Junior and Leaving Cert examination fees an election issue. Delegates also passed a motion deploring the "inadequate psychological services available to post primary schools".
Throughout the conference parents voiced concerns about their role in the decision making processes in education. "We are not participating fully at all levels at the moment and in some cases there are limits imposed on our[ level of participation, based on the perception of others as to what our role should be," Mr Mitchell said.
The Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach told delegates on Friday that the Education Bill, which provides for the establishment of 10 regional education boards, would change the current system of centralised decision making within the Department and provide for parental involvement at all levels.
Delegates also called on school managers and principals, in conjunction with parents, to define the different forms of bullying in their code of discipline.
Mr Sean Mitchell was reelected president of the NPC-PP.