Ministers Naughton, Foley and Moynihan launch the National Conversation on Education
- Published on: 14 January 2026
- Last updated on: 14 January 2026
- National Conversation on Education commences today as members of the public are invited to participate
- The outcomes will be used to inform the agenda for the Convention on Education which will discuss key issues about the future of education
- The outcomes will also inform the development of a new action plan for the early learning and care system
Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley and Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion, Michael Moynihan have today (Wednesday) launched the National Conversation on Education.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come.
The outcomes of the National Conversation on Education will be used to inform the agenda for the Convention on Education which will take place later this year. The Convention in turn, will inform a new long-term strategy for the future of education in Ireland.
The National Conversation on Education will commence today, 14 January 2026 and the public are being invited to participate in a number of ways. These include:
- Completing the survey online here
- Making a submission on behalf of an individual or an organisation here
- Hosting their own conversations in their schools, youth settings and organisations
The survey and submissions process will remain open until 28 February 2026.
In addition to this, school community engagement events and regional events will take place across the country, inviting deeper discussion on how we might shape the future of education in Ireland.
A separate survey from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality will launch in February, and will inform a new action plan to build an affordable, accessible and high quality early learning and care system and the successor to the First 5 Strategy for Early Childhood.
The views of participants in all parts of the National Conversation will help to identify the themes for the Convention on Education. The conversation will give everyone a chance to discuss what should change, what should remain the same, what should be prioritised, and how education can help all children and young people thrive into the future.
Minister Naughton said:
”For generations, our education system has served the people of Ireland well. Our people have achieved enormous success at home and abroad in business, academia, the arts, the sciences, in sport and in all other areas of human endeavour. Today, some one million children will attend 4,000 schools across the country where teachers, SNAs and school staff will help equip them for life after school whether in further and higher education or a career of their choosing.
“It is testament to the quality of our teachers and education system that we - a small island nation - has thrived and prospered in the light of profound global changes over recent decades including globalisation, pandemics, Brexit and, of course, the arrival of the internet and digital world.”
Continuing, Minister Naughton said:
“Today, we are at the beginning of another revolution with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, a technology with endless potential uses we haven’t even begun to explore and realise. The challenge our education system faces is how to equip the young people of today with the necessary skills to help them thrive and adapt in an ever-changing world, where A.I. is a reality and where all aspects of daily life including leisure, study and work are continuously changing. That leads to profound questions we must address and seek to answer. What will be our place in this new world? What skills will our young people need to thrive in the future? How will we navigate a world we can only begin to imagine?
“The Convention on Education is a once in a generation opportunity for young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come, to ensure our young people can stake their claim in this new world. Today, we launch the National Conversation which is an opportunity for everyone to have their say, to raise the issues they think important and help inform the further development of our education system. I want this to be an open and honest conversation about the totality of our education system, and what it needs to do to ensure that our young people are properly equipped for life after school.”
Minister Foley said:
“I am delighted to mark the launch of the National Conversation on Education. Education has always been central to Ireland’s progress, shaping the social and economic success that defines our nation.
“If it is to be effective and impactful, the National Conversation on Education must embrace the lifecycle of learning -from early years to primary and post-primary and further and higher education and throughout adulthood.
“As part of the National Conversation, the Department will lead a broad consultation on the future of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, including childminders. We want to hear from children families, early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and providers as well as communities across Ireland.
“This part of the National Conversation will include an online survey, local consultation events, and a national forum, all aimed at building an affordable, accessible, and high-quality early learning and care and school age childcare system - as a key part of our wider education system.”
Minister Moynihan said:
“It is almost certain that over the next quarter of a century we will see significant change right across our primary and post-primary education system but also in how we include those with additional needs.
“Two hallmarks of this process will be diversity and inclusion, diversity of people, ideas, and conversations, and inclusion of them all. As such, it is vital that as many people as possible have their say so we can have a school system that is ready to shape and respond to our changing needs over that time.
“I am encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in the National Conversation through completing the survey or entering a submission. I would particularly ask parents/ guardians of children with additional needs and organisations who work in this sector to have their say. Your viewpoints are essential to inform the work of this process.”
Notes to editors
The National Conversation
The National Conversation is an opportunity for everyone in Ireland to have their say on the future of education in Ireland. It will take the format of a survey and submissions process, school community engagements and regional consultations. Outputs from these engagements and the submission process will inform the agenda for the Convention, which will be approved by the Government. Outputs will also inform the development of a new action plan to build an affordable, accessible and high quality early learning and care and school-age childcare system
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come.
Anyone in Ireland can participate in a number of different ways:
- Completing the survey
- Making a submission
- Hosting your own conversation in your school or organisation.
The Department of Education and Youth-led National Conversation on Education survey and submissions process will open in January 2026 and close on 28 February 2026.
School community engagement and regional events will also be held in 2026.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality-led survey and submission process will open in February.
By participating in the National Conversation, you can help shape the future of education in Ireland.
The Convention on Education
The Convention on Education is a once-in-a generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come.
The Convention will be chaired by Professor Anne Looney, and will meet four times over weekends in March, May, September and November 2026 to discuss key issues about the future of education:
The Convention will comprise 150 people across 4 groups:
- Children and young people (30 people)
- Parents and guardians (30 people)
- School employees and early years educators (30 people)
- Education stakeholders (60 people)
The focus will be on primary and post-primary (secondary) schools, the transitions within education, looking at what is working well, what challenges need attention, and what changes may be needed in the years ahead.
Recommendations from the Convention will inform a new long-term Department of Education and Youth strategy for education in Ireland.
More on last convention
The 1993 National Education Convention was led by Professor John Coolahan. This convention represented a major democratic debate on the future of the Irish education system. The foundations of this debate were set out in the Green Paper Education for a Changing World. That paper followed on from the OECD Review of the Irish Education System (1991).
The Green Paper, published by the Minister of Education in June 1992, proposed a major project of reform to be carried out within the Irish Education system. Included in the Minister’s foreword to the Green Paper was an invitation to those who were committed to improving the education system to take part in a national debate. The results of this national debate were to then inform the policy commitments of the government in the area of education which would then be set out in the White Paper Charting Our Education Future.
The publication of the Green Paper sparked a period of nationwide meetings, seminars and conferences. On top of this, the Department of Education received over 1,000 written submissions in response to the Green Paper. The culmination of all this activity was the announcement of the National Education Convention to be held in Dublin Castle from the 11th – 21st October 1993.
That Convention saw forty-two organisations come together to engage in a discussion on the key issues facing education policy in Ireland. The main thematic outcomes of that event were analysed and compiled in report which was put together by the Convention’s Secretariat.