Bodies under the aegis of the Department of Education

In accordance with the 2016 Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and in the interest of good governance in the public sector, all state bodies are subject to oversight and accountability to ensure that there are robust and effective governance arrangements in places.

For information on the membership of boards of state bodies and agencies operating under the aegis of Department of Education see: Membership of State Boards

The following are the bodies under the aegis of the Department of Education:

An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) was founded under the provisions of Article 31 of the Education Act of 1998 following a campaign led by Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Gaelscoileanna agus Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta to establish a structure to cater for the educational needs of Gaeltacht schools and of Gaelscoileanna. There are functions also in Section 31 relating to the teaching of Irish in the country’s other schools.

COGG’s role relates to both primary and post-primary education and its functions are:

• to plan and co-ordinate the provision of textbooks and aids to learning and teaching through Irish
• to advise the Minister on policies relating to the provision and promotion of education through the medium of Irish in recognised schools generally and in schools located in a Gaeltacht area
• to provide support services to those schools through the medium of Irish a
• to conduct research into any of all matters to which this paragraph applies
• to plan and co-ordinate the provision of textbooks and aids to the learning and teaching of Irish and to conduct research into and to advise the Minister on strategies which have as their objective the enhancement of the effectiveness in the teaching of Irish in recognised schools and centres for education

The Educational Research Centre (ERC) was founded in 1966.

The ERC has become an internationally recognised centre of excellence in research, assessment and evaluation in education.

The ERC was established as a body corporate under Section 54 of the Education Act 1998 on 9 September 2015.

The main responsibilities of the ERC are to:

• conduct independent research on all aspects of education and at all levels of the education system including research that will inform policy making and the improvement of educational standards
• provide an assessment support service to schools and centres for education (including the development and provision of standardised tests and other assessment instruments)

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is a statutory body of the Department of Education established under Section 39 of the Education Act 1998.

The role of the NCCA is to advise the Minister for Education on:

1. curriculum and assessment for early childhood education, primary and post-primary schools.

2. assessment procedures used in schools and examinations on subjects which are part of the curriculum.

The NCCA works in a spirit of consensus and partnership. It seeks to promote an innovative and creative environment for all learners in schools and other educational settings.

The curriculum for Ireland's primary and post-primary schools is determined by the Minister for Education who is advised by the NCCA.

The curriculum sets out not only what is to be taught, but how, and how learning in the particular subject area is to be assessed.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC), established in 2003, is a non-departmental public body under the aegis of the Department of Education.

The SEC is committed to working in partnership with school authorities and education providers in order to deliver a high quality examination and assessment system that is efficient, fair and accessible and to ensure that the system is operated in an environment of openness, transparency and accountability.

The SEC is responsible for the development, assessment, accreditation and certification of the second-level examinations of the Irish state: the Junior Cycle / Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate.

The Teaching Council was established as a statutory body in March 2006.

The Council:

• promotes teaching as a profession at primary and post-primary levels
• promotes the professional development of teachers
• regulates standards in the profession

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was set up to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs arising from disabilities with particular emphasis on children.

The Council was first established as an independent statutory body by order of the Minister for Education and Science in December 2003.

The NCSE offers support for schools and parents through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) within designated geographical areas. A SENO can advise schools and parents on the facilities, services, and resources available to assist children with Special Educational Needs. Each SENO has responsibility for specific schools, primary, post primary and special within their area.

A SENO will advise parents in relation to the educational supports which can be provided for children with special educational needs in schools. The SENO also assists with applications for transport and Assistive Technology.

The name and contact details of the SENO for your area are available on the NCSE website.

Further support and training for schools is also provided by the NCSE support service, which includes the Special Education Support Service, the Visiting Teacher Service for children who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired, and the National Behavioral Support Service.

Details of how schools can access these services is available at www.ncse.ie.

The Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (RISFB) was established in March 2013 under the provisions of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012.

The Board adopted the service name “Caranua” in October 2013.

The Board oversees the use of cash contributions of up to €110m pledged by the religious congregations to support the needs of some 15,000 survivors of residential institutional child abuse. These survivors have received awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or equivalent court awards or settlements.

The RISFB is required to comply with the provisions of the 2012 Act and government policy in relation to the performance of its functions. The Board took the place of the Education Finance Board, which has dissolved.

The key functions of the RISFB as defined in the Act include the payment of grants to former residents in order that they may avail of approved services, which include: mental health services, health and personal social services, educational services and housing support services.

It also promotes understanding, among persons involved in the provision of approved services and publicly available services to former residents, of the effects of abuse on former residents.

By the end of 2019 the RISFB/Caranua had received its fully statutory funding allocation (€110m plus interest) and was processing its remaining applications. At that point it had expended some €93m on the provision of supports to over 6,000 survivors and expended a further €12m on administration costs. Caranua expects to have processed all applications by mid-2020 and will be wound down and eventually dissolved.

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was established on 23 May, 2000, pursuant to the “Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000” and given three primary functions: *to hear evidence of abuse from persons who allege they suffered abuse in childhood, in institutions, during the period from 1940 or earlier, to the present day; *to conduct an inquiry into abuse of children in institutions during that period and, where satisfied that abuse occurred, to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse; and *to prepare and publish reports on the results of the inquiry and on its recommendations in relation to dealing with the effects of such abuse.

The Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) was set up under the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002.

The RIRB seeks to make fair and reasonable awards to persons who, as children, were abused while resident in industrial schools, reformatories and other institutions subject to state regulation or inspection.

It is important to note that the Residential Institutions Redress Board no longer has the power to accept new applications for the following reasons:

• in accordance with the provisions of section 8 (1) of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002, the closing date for receipt of all applications was 15 December 2005
• in accordance with the provisions of the Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Act 2011 the Board's power to accept late applications under sections 8(2) and 8(3) of the Redress Act 2002 ceased at midnight on 16 September 2011

The Residential Institutions Review Committee (RIRC) was set up under the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002.

A person not satisfied with an award made by the Residential Institutions Redress Board may, following a hearing, apply to the Residential Institutions Redress Review Committee for a review of the Board's award. The Review Committee may uphold the Board's award, or increase or decrease the amount of the award.

See Also

Membership of State Boards