The Department of Education and Skills is a department

Department of State (Ireland)

A Department of State of Ireland, is a department or ministry of the Government of Ireland. The head of such a department is a Minister of the Government , often called a 'cabinet minister' or 'government minister' which should not be confused with Minister of State which is a junior non-cabinet...

 of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Education and Skills who is assisted by two Ministers of State

Minister of State (Ireland)

A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....

.

Departmental team

The official headquarters and Ministerial offices of the Department of Education and Skills are at Marlborough Street

Marlborough Street (Dublin)

Marlborough Street, is a street in Dublin, Ireland. The current name is in honour of the Duke of Marlborough, known for his victory at Blenheim during the 18th century. In the late 19th century it was for a time called Tyrone Street after Tyrone House...

, Dublin 1. The Departmental team consists of the following:

• Minister for Education and Skills: Ruairi Quinn
  Ruairi Quinn
  Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
  
  , TD
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
  
  • Minister of State
    Minister of State (Ireland)
    A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
    
     for Research and Innovation: Seán Sherlock
    Seán Sherlock
    Seán Sherlock is an Irish Labour Party politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for Cork East since May 2007, and is the Minister of State for Research and Innovation.-Early life:...
    
    , TD
  • Minister of State for Training and Skills: Ciarán Cannon
    Ciarán Cannon
    Ciarán Cannon is an Irish politician and the current Minister of State for Training and Skills. He is a Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Galway East since the 2011 general election. He is a former leader of the Progressive Democrats party.Before entering politics he was CEO and secretary of IHCPT –...
    
    , TD
• Secretary General of the Department: Brigid McManus

Departmental Overview

The mission of the Department of Education and Skills is to provide high-quality education which will enable individuals to achieve their full potential and to participate fully as members of society, and contribute to Ireland's social, cultural and economic development. Chief among the Department's priorities are:

• the promotion of equity and inclusion, quality outcomes and lifelong learning
• planning for education that is relevant to personal, social, cultural and economic needs
• enhancement of the capacity of the Department for service delivery, policy formulation, research and evaluation

While education at primary and secondary levels is free in Ireland, due to costs for books and other levies it is estimated that it can cost as much as €70,000 to put a child through the state school system (from age 5 to 17) at 2009 costs.

History

The Department of Education was created in 1921. Over the years its name has changed; however, the role of the Department has remained the same. The Department was previously known as the following:

• Department of Education (1921–1997)
• Department of Education and Science (1997–2010)
• Department of Education and Skills (2010–present)

During this period the main focus was on running the National School primary system, with free secondary education provided from 1968.

As Irish Catholics are obliged to be educated by persons influenced by the Catholic Church, the Department has had to liaise with and accommodate the Church.

The Department also had the task of overseeing reformatory and industrial schools from 1922. The 2009 "Ryan Report" found that this was rarely achieved (see Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. It is commonly known in Ireland as the Ryan Commission , after its chair, Justice Seán Ryan...

).

External links

• Department of Education and Skills