New initiative will see reduced tickets prices for cultural events, the development of Arts Rich Schools, and encouragement of visits to cultural institutions. Artists and arts organisations in receipt of taxpayer funds will also donate time to local education projects
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, and Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, are jointly launching an Arts in Education Charter.
This Charter places new responsibilities on Government Departments, agencies, cultural institutions and arts organisations in terms of providing and promoting arts education to children and young people.
This Charter has been agreed as both Ministers believe passionately in arts education and want to see a joined-up Government approach across Departments, education agencies and arts organisations. The charter will see organisations like the Arts Council, the National Cultural Institutions, the Colleges of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment working with both Departments in order to bring the arts into the classroom and learners into the institutes for the arts.
Some of the Arts in Education Charter commitments include:
· Donate time in return for taxpayer funding: A new Public Service Education Dividend will be introduced which will mean that artists and arts organisations in receipt of taxpayer funds will be expected to donate a small amount of time each year to a local education initiative.
· Arts Rich Schools: The Arts Council will introduce a national scheme which will incentivise and recognise those schools (primary and secondary) which make the arts a key part of school life.
· Visits to museums and galleries: The National Cultural Institutions shall ensure that each student visits a national cultural institution at least once in their second level school career.
· Reduced ticket prices: The National Theatre and the National Concert Hall - along with all other National Cultural Institutions that may, from time to time, charge an admission fee for a particular event - will offer discounted tickets to those in full-time primary, post primary and third level education. These tickets shall not cost more than €5 per event.
· Artists in Residence: The number of artists' residencies in Colleges of Education will be increased.
· Curriculum design: The Arts Council will be consulted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment on curriculum design.
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, commented:
"I'm delighted to launch this Charter today, with my colleague Minister Quinn, as it is something I have been keen to progress for many years. Giving young people access to the arts is extremely important both for their development and the artistic and cultural future of our country. This Charter gets a range of organisations to cooperate together and to work in a different way, and this kind of new approach is especially important at a time when resources are scarce."
Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, said:
“Education should and must be about fostering creativity in our students and creativity cannot only be taught in the classroom. I believe the Arts in Education Charter will assist us in our mission to develop creativity in our economy and our society.”
A High Level Implementation Group will oversee the implementation of the Charter, and will report to the Ministers at least twice a year. The Implementation Group may also advise the Ministers on updating and improving the Charter. The Implementation Group will be chaired by Professor John Coolahan (Professor Emeritus, NUI Maynooth) and will also include Orlaith McBride (Director of the Arts Council), Mary Nunan (Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick), Alan Wall (Director, Department of Education and Skills) and Niall O'Donnchu (Assistant Secretary, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht).
Ends/
Contact:
For Minister Deenihan, please contact the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Press and Information Office, Tel: (01) 631 3848 / 3803 (direct)
For Minister Quinn, please contact Deirdre Grant, Tel: (01) 889 2417, Mob: 086 0484 279
Photography:
Photographs (free to use by news media) available from Maxwell Photography, Tel: (01) 8308072
Note to Editors:
Core commitments in the Arts in Education Charter include:
1. PSED- Public Service Education Dividend
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will introduce a Public Service Education Dividend. This will place new obligations on the Arts Council, on arts organisations and on individual artists in receipt of public funds.
The Arts Council will ensure that arts organisations which it supports from the public purse include arts-in-education as part of their programme of work. All publicly funded arts organisations will be obliged to donate time per annum to a local education initiative. Individual artists funded from the public purse, including those in receipt of the artists' tax exemption, shall donate at least 2 hours each per annum to a local education initiative.
2. ARIS - Arts Rich Schools
The Arts Council will introduce a national scheme – ARIS – Arts Rich Schools – which will incentivise and recognise those schools (primary and secondary) which make the arts a key part of school life.
3. Student Visits to Cultural Institutions
The National Cultural Institutions shall ensure that each student visits a national cultural institution at least once in their second level school career.
4. Reduced Ticket Prices
The National Theatre and the National Concert Hall - along with all other National Cultural Institutions that may, from time to time, charge an admission fee for a particular event - will offer discounted tickets to those in full-time primary, post primary and third level education. These tickets shall not cost more than €5 per event.
5. Artists in Residence
The Arts Council will work with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Education and Skills to increase the number of artists' residencies in Colleges of Education
6. Portal Site
A portal site for arts-in-education will be developed. The site will be a key communications and information channel for both the education and arts sectors.
7. Policy
Second-level schools shall develop school policies and plans to reflect this commitment to arts-in-education as an important aspect of enriching the curriculum and the wider life of the school.
8. Infrastructure
Provision for arts-in-education will be reflected in the design, refurbishment and equipping of schools. The Minister for Education and Skills may also initiate a stock-take of existing facilities. That stock-take would inform future provision, co-location and shared use of facilities.
The Minister for Education and Skills also commits to greater out of hours use of schools facilities to give children and young people access to arts activity. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht commits to incorporate the provision of facilities for education practice within future policy for capital expenditure programmes in arts and culture.
9. Curriculum Design
The Arts Council shall be consulted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and, where appropriate, represented on its committees.
10. Implementation Group
A High Level Implementation Group will oversee developments. The Implementation Group will meet regularly and report to the Ministers twice yearly, at least. Consultation meetings with a wider group of other key stakeholders may be held every two years. The Implementation Group may also advise the Ministers on updating and improving the Charter.