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The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D. today opened the Third National Forum on Education for Sustainable Development, in Farmleigh House.
Education for Sustainable Development aims to foster and strengthen the capacity of our citizens to make informed judgements and choices in favour of actions that lead to a sustainable outcome.
Opening the Forum, Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, said: “I have set the ambition to make Ireland’s education and training service the best in Europe within a decade. We can only achieve this goal with responsible, sustainable policies. Indeed our Action Plan for Education sets out how we can build and consolidate progress towards the achievement of a long-term, sustainable programme of change and reform. I look forward to listening to those present today, to hear how their ideas can enrich that progress.
The Minister welcomed the many stakeholder representatives attending the Forum including those from other Government Departments, NGOs, teachers, a wide range of environmental, social, civic and development educationalists. He especially welcomed the young people who were attending. The purpose of the Forum is to assist the Department in preparing its mid-term review of the National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development in Ireland, 2014-2020. The review will ask questions about what is working well and what can be improved, based on stakeholders’ experience of the Strategy to date.
The chair for the Forum is education journalist John Walshe. Duncan Stewart of Green Foundation Ireland and RTÉ was among the key contributors.
The hosting and promotion of the Forum is a key action under the Department of Education and Skills’ National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (2014-2020) and also under the Action Plan for Education (2016 – 2019).

Notes to Editor
The National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development is available at: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/National-Strategy-on-Education-for-Sustainable-Development-in-Ireland-2014-2020.pdf