Significant milestone for future of Ireland’s education system as first meeting of the Convention on Education takes place
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The first meeting of the Convention on Education takes place this weekend in Athlone, marking a significant milestone in shaping the future of Ireland’s education system.
Chaired by Professor Anne Looney, the Convention on Education brings together 150 participants representing children and young people, parents, school employees, early years educators and education stakeholders. Over four weekends in 2026, the Convention will consider key questions about the future of primary and post-primary education in Ireland.
This inaugural meeting will focus on reviewing and discussing the emerging findings from the National Conversation on Education, which has engaged over 40,000 people across the country through surveys, submissions and school community engagements.
Speaking from the Convention, Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton said:
“Today marks an important moment for education in Ireland. The Convention on Education brings together voices from every part of our system to reflect on where we are and where we want to go. The insight and experience of its members, particularly that of children and young people will be invaluable as we plan for the decades ahead. This will be the largest exercise to date in Ireland of deliberative democracy, with 150 people taking part. For the first time ever, children and young people between the ages of 8 and 24 will be full members. Their views and thoughts will carry equal weight to all other members of the Convention. The outcomes of the Convention will drive the ambition for our future strategy, and I look forward to seeing the convention’s recommendations.”
Convention Chair, Professor Anne Looney said:
“The deliberations of the Convention will be focused on the future of our school system, looking beyond immediate challenges and concerns to the longer term, to the design of a system for the future. That’s not as easy as it sounds. Someone once said that the future is not what’s ahead, it's what’s in your head. We find it difficult to look far ahead, especially when it’s difficult to predict what Ireland might be like in ten years, let alone in the longer term. But the results from the National Conversation on Education will guide the convention in its deliberations on what is important for our education system in that future and inform its recommendations for Government.”
Contact Information
Department of Education and Youth Press Office
press@education.gov.ie
Notes to editors
About the Convention on Education
The Convention on Education will meet on four weekends throughout 2026:
- 21–22 March 2026
- 9–10 May 2026
- 26–27 September 2026
- 14–15 November 2026
Its 150 members reflect a balanced cross-section of Irish society:
- 30 children and young people
- 30 parents and guardians
- 30 school employees and early years educators
- 60 education stakeholders
The Convention’s recommendations will inform the development of a new long-term Department of Education and Youth strategy, ‘Our Schools, Our Future’, guiding Ireland’s education system for decades to come.
Regional Consultation Events
As the final element of the National Conversation, a series of regional consultation events will take place across the country in the coming weeks. Regional consultations will facilitate discussion on the main themes and issues that have emerged from the school community engagement events and the survey and submissions process. Attendees will be asked to give their views on the extent to which these topics can shape the agenda for the Convention.