Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1984 > Committee on Women's Rights > Report No. 01 - Education

INTRODUCTION

In recent years the role and status of women in society have been the subject of critical examination by concerned groups and individuals in many countries. National Governments have espoused the rights of women and legislation has been introduced to protect and guarantee these rights. In Ireland the main instruments of equality legislation are in the area of employment i.e. the Anti-Discrimination (Pay)Act 1974 and the Employment Equality Act 1977. Recognition of the rights of women has been reflected in the report of the Commission on the Status of Women, published over a decade ago, and accepted by every Government since then, and in various reports and resolutions of the E.E.C.

However because of the absence of any programme of affirmative action progress in establishing equality between the sexes has been very slow in this country. The Joint Committee at its meeting on 30th November 1983 discussed the many issues affecting women’s rights and decided that education should be a priority subject for consideration. It was generally accepted by the members that many of the inequalities between the sexes, are rooted in the educational system as at present structured in this country. As a result, and contrary to the many laudable expressions in support of equality, the Irish social system still accords a very low priority to the rights of women in all spheres of activity. The Joint Committee in addressing itself to this serious problem agreed that it should give special attention to (a) co-education, (b) curriculum reform (c) educational facilities for female students and (d) the position of women in the teaching profession.

1.PARENTS

1.1The Joint Committee conscious of the role of the parents as early and fundamental educators of the child acknowledges that any changes in the existing educational structures must respect the wishes of parents. The members realise that the attitudes of parents still play a big part in influencing the type of education that they (the parents) think is best for their children. They recognise too the doubts expressed by some parents who do not favour co-education and who point to studies which show that girls may do better academically in single sex schools. However they would hope that these parents will come to accept the view, shared also by the professionals, that there is a much wider aspect to education apart from academic achievement, and that it is in co-education that a broader and more enriching education is to be found, that will, among other things, foster and respect the concept of equality between the sexes.

2.EDUCATION POLICY

2.1It has been traditional at primary level in rural areas to have classes mixed. In the cities and larger areas of population boys and girls have traditionally been educated separately. In recent years however, all new primary schools are co-educational but it is accepted that the complete transition to co-educational schools will take time. The Joint Committee is concerned to ensure that all new primary schools will be fully co-educational, i.e. that boys and girls will not be just occupying separate parts of the one building but that they will be taught together in the same classrooms. The members are convinced that early introduction to co-education is and will be beneficial to the pupils both educationally and socially and that it is a first and necessary step to eliminate the sex stereotyping which is so obvious in the existing educational structures in this country.

2.2The blatant sex stereotyping in school text books at all levels is a matter of serious concern. The wrong perceptions implanted in the young impressionable minds of boys and girls, and usually carried forward to later life, can cause irrepairable damage and are no doubt responsible, at least in part, for many of the social problems confronting young people to-day. The Joint Committee is pleased to note that the Minister for Education in the “Programme for Action in Education 1984-87” promised that this area will receive particular attention and that in fact, following discussions she has had with the publishers, guidelines on sexism and sex stereotyping in primary school textbooks have been issued to them. The Joint Committee trusts that the situation will be closely monitored to ensure that the Minister’s guidelines are acted upon, so that in due course text books in the schools will in the words of the “Programme for Action”, “reflect a properly balanced treatment of the respective roles of men and women in contemporary society”.

2.3The concept of co-education has been slow to gain acceptance at secondary level where many of the schools are single sex and under the control of the religious orders. There has been some movement towards co-education in these schools but only on a limited scale. The Joint Committee was however pleased to hear from the spokesperson for the Conference of Major Religious Superiors (Ireland) that while the Conference as such had no policy on co-education the majority of the Orders consulted favoured involvement in co-education where a new school was to be established or where there was the possibility of amalgamating two or more existing schools. The Joint Committee is of the opinion that the Department of Education, which appears not to have any instruments for implementing a policy of co-education, should set about harnessing the goodwill that undoubtedly exists towards this form of education. It recommends that the recent welcome initiatives by the Minister for Education be followed, immediately, with a policy of affirmative action aimed at hastening the spread of co-education in all schools throughout the country.

2.4The community and comprehensive schools are a relatively new feature of education in Ireland, and it is in these schools that the true concept of co-education exists and is put into practice. The Joint Committee would hope to see many more schools throughout the country embracing co-education in the not too distant future.

3.CURRICULUM

3.1Reform of the school curriculum to enable subject and career choice to be widened is an urgent requirement. The Curriculum and Examinations Board will, it is hoped, produce some enlightened recommendations in this area. In the meantime school authorities, where it is practical and feasible to do so, should try to broaden the scope of the curriculum so that girls and boys will be encouraged to take up “non traditional” subjects. Girls should be given the opportunity to do subjects such as woodwork and metalwork and boys encouraged to do home economics (indeed it might be asked should this subject not be mandatory for all pupils) and the syllabus amended accordingly. In the technological age in which we live it is only right that girls should be given the same opportunities at school as their brothers, to prepare them for the very difficult and challenging conditions of the present day.

3.2The Joint Committee is pleased to note that the Minister for Education, through her Inspectorate, is encouraging the managerial authorities in mixed schools to offer subjects equally to both sexes and in particular to give girls the opportunity of taking technical subjects. Encouragement in itself however may not be sufficient and the Joint Committee hopes that the Minister will be able to make the necessary resources available to bring equality of choice into the curriculum in those schools where it is at present not available and where girls are usually the losers.

3.3Most of the groups which appeared before the Joint Committee laid emphasis on the need to include a programme for living skills in the school curriculum, and the Joint Committee is satisfied that students would reap the benefit of such a programme in their adult life when they will be faced with the realities of normal day to day living. Many couples are unable to manage their financial affairs in a prudent fashion and this can often lead to discord and argument and sometimes marriage breakdown with all its associated problems. A programme to teach basic skills for living such as budgeting, taxation, insurance, mortgage repayments etc. would be of tremendous value and a very practical preparation for adult life. Such a programme also embracing social and political science, should be integrated into the existing educational structures in all schools. Our educational system has for too long been geared mainly to passing examinations to the neglect of the important element of personal and social development of the student. Unless this situation changes for the better and rapidly, students will continue to leave school ill equipped to face the complexities and difficulties of the modern world.

3.4The many psychological problems affecting pupils nowadays related to drug taking, environmental conditions, lack of parental control and sexual deviation are a cause of real concern to teachers. Very often the teacher in the classroom is confronted and expected to deal with situations for which he or she has no special training. The Joint Committee would see it as a matter of urgency that professionally organised seminars and training courses should be set up to help teachers to cope with these problems, such courses to involve, in addition to the teachers, managers, parents, Department of Education and the Health Education Bureau.

3.5Pregnancy among school girls is no longer an isolated occurrence and the number of pregnancies is on the increase. This situation highlights the need for the introduction of a sex education programme in both primary and secondary schools, to be integrated into the existing curricula. When referring to the need for sex education, many are inclined to think in terms of girls schools only. It cannot be over emphasised that the need for sex education is as great for boys, and indeed if such education were available in all schools to-day, it is arguable that many pregnancies among school girls, often with traumatic effects on the girls, their families and friends, might have been avoided. The introduction of a sex education programme should involve the teachers, school management, parents, Department of Education, the Health Education Bureau and the Health Boards. The necessary steps to establish such a programme should be put in train without delay. The type of programme envisaged by the Joint Committee would not be concerned solely with sex. per se, but would also embrace the whole area of responsible personal relationships. The Joint Committee is pleased to note that the Minister for Education, speaking in the Dail on 6th March 1984 on the “Programme for Action in Education 1984-87” indicated that assistance will be forthcoming from the Department in helping schools to plan sex education programmes and that an officer has since been appointed by the Health Education Bureau to advise and assist the Department on the design and introduction of a sex education programme.

4.TEACHER EDUCATION

4.1It is the view of the Joint Committee that more could be done in the Colleges of Education to help teachers in the elimination of sexism in the educational system. The teachers should at least, on completion of their training, be fully aware of the unequal treatment of male and female pupils, and be prepared, in so far as their positions will allow, to do everything they can to bring equality into the classroom. The Colleges of Education can and should play a more active role in this area by ensuring that the subject becomes an integral part of the educational training of students for the teaching profession. The post graduate departments in the universities should also have a similar role to play when preparing teachers for their H. Dip. degrees.

4.2The lack of adequate and effective in-service training is a major drawback to teachers in keeping abreast of the changing moods and patterns in education and the effects these are having on themselves and their pupils. The Joint Committee would like to see the establishment of in-service training courses on a regular and systematic basis, which should involve teachers, including principals, management and the Department of Education. The need for in-service training is so obvious and is acknowledged by the teachers, that the Department of Education should be giving every encouragement and incentive to ensure that it becomes an established feature of the educational system. It is noted that in-service training is referred to in the “Programme for Action in Education 1984/87”, but the Joint Committee is concerned, having regard to current restraints on expenditure, that this area, already so long neglected, will not receive the priority it deserves. If that were to happen progress in education would be set back still further, with adverse affects on teachers and pupils. The Joint Committee feels strongly that the Department of Education has a duty to provide regular in-service training and that the teachers have a corresponding duty to avail fully of what ever services are provided by the Department.

5.GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS

5.1The position of the guidance counsellor in any school is one of the utmost responsibility and such a teacher can play a big part in shaping the destiny of those pupils who follow his or her advice. The guidance counsellor is unique in that he or she, of all teachers, should be in a position to bring some influence to bear in breaking the sex related study and career choice. The Joint Committee is of the opinion that the guidance counsellor may not be involved to a sufficient degree in policy making, timetabling, planning etc. as seems to be the case at the present, and it agreed that counselling should commence in the schools at a much earlier stage, certainly not later than first year in post primary education.

5.2The knowledge, training and expertise of the guidance counsellor must be utilised to the maximum by school managements in the hope that among other advances, the commitment to eliminate sex stereotyping in both curriculum and career choice will be intensified among staff and management. To achieve this desirable situation throughout the entire educational system the Joint Committee recommends an increase in the number of guidance counsellors employed in schools, and that priority should be given to the areas of greatest need. In this connection the Joint Committee would ask that the new committee being set up by the Minister for Education, to review the provision and establish guidelines for schools, and referred to in the Programme for Action, should report without undue delay.

5.3The Joint Committee recognises the necessity for the involvement and support of parents in the matter of guidance counselling. It has already referred to the influence of parents in deciding the type of education that they think is best for their children (Par. 1.1). It follows that there may be differences of opinion between parents and the guidance counsellor on what is best for the child. School managements should therefore ensure that parents are always kept informed of matters involving counselling and that their co-operation is sought when decisions are to be taken that may conflict with their own opinions and attitudes. The Joint Committee is satisfied that so long as the lines of communication between the parents and the school are kept open, the parents will be receptive to the advice of the guidance counsellor and will, in general, be pleased to acknowledge the important role the counsellor has to play in the formation of their childrens’ attitudes to school and work.

6.AMALGAMATION OF SCHOOLS

6.1In order to maximise the benefits to pupils in areas where two or more post-primary schools exist, the Joint Committee recommends a concerted effort on the part of the Department of Education and managerial authorities to encourage and assist in the amalgamation of these schools. The underutilisation of facilities in some schools, adjacent to others where facilities are lacking is a cause of educational inopportunity for some pupils and it highlights the need for amalgamating these schools in areas where it is practical and justified to do so.

6.2Very few girls at Leaving Certificate level take subjects such as physics and higher mathematics and often when they are anxious to follow these subjects they cannot do so because the facilities and teachers are not available in their schools. This problem could be overcome in many instances by the interchange of pupils and teachers between one school and another, an arrangement which the Joint Committee understands would be acceptable to both unions and management. The Joint Committee while recognising that certain contractual difficulties may arise regarding the mobility of teachers, recognises also, that no pupil should be denied the opportunity of taking up these subjects. The Joint Committee would like to see all the parties concerned - Department, teachers, management and parents, coming together to devise arrangements whereby the interchange of teachers and pupils could be effected in certain areas, pending outright amalgamation of the schools. It would also stress that in any scheme of amalgamation the teaching posts held by women should be safeguarded and that there would be no diminution of their responsibilities.

7.PUPIL/TEACHER RATIO

7.1The high pupil/teacher ratio in many schools is a serious impediment to enlarging subject options, particularly to girls who are anxious and have the ability to undertake non traditional subjects. The Joint Committee would regard the lowering of the pupil/teacher ratio as an indispensible part of any proposals to equalise subject choice between boys and girls and it calls on the Government to give the matter the immediate and corrective measures that it deserves. Any such improvements in the pupil/teacher ratio should be operated in a flexible manner and directed to the areas of greatest need.

8.TRAINING COURSES, APPRENTICEHSIPS

8.1One of the consequences of the denial to girls of the opportunities to study non traditional subjects such as metalwork, woodwork, mechanical drawing etc. is the low representation of females in the various training and apprenticeship courses run by the State sponsored agencies. In the past three years the numbers of females applying for apprenticeship training to the National Manpower Service in the Dublin area, were as follows:

1982- 92 out of a total of 2,530 or 3.6%

1983-116 out of a total of 3,965 or 2.9%

1984-211 out of a total of 4,782 or 4.4%

The situation is similar on a countrywide basis. This highlights the reality that a very small number of women apply for apprenticeships in the first instance and this situation is likely to remain until such time as attitudes generally towards women in apprenticeships change, and they are given support and encouragement to apply for places in the various apprenticeship schemes. At the end of December 1983, there were 108 female apprentices out of a total number of 18,779.

8.2This appalling imbalance would suggest that apart from the fact that their education does not equip most girls for certain apprenticeship courses, there appears to be a high level of sex discrimination in the selection procedures. This is borne out of the fact that while girls are holding their own reasonably well at the test stage of assessment, there is a substantial drop from a male/female ratio of 27:1 as assessed as technically suited, to a ratio of 95:1 as recruited after interview (1983 figures). The problem underpinning the small numbers of women in apprenticeships seems to be a deep seated system of values, attitudes and perceptions that hold that a woman’s place is not in apprenticeship. These same attitudes are still in evidence in finding places for girls who have successfully completed their apprenticeship, as most employers show a preference for engaging a male rather than a female.

8.3To bring about the desired changes in the attitudes of all those concerned in the administration of the various apprenticeship and training schemes, education has a vital role to play and teachers and parents should be encouraging girls with the necessary talents to apply for apprenticeship training. The Joint Committee would urge the Departments of State involved i.e. Labour and Education to ensure that in future adequate training facilities are made available to girls in the various schemes operating under their control. In this connection it would like to see a greater proportion of the national training fund directed to creating incentives for the placement of female apprentices and for their support during training. Employers should also be encouraged to accept apprentices on completion of their training, strictly on merit, and that no discrimination will be made on the basis of sex.

8.4The Joint Committee would like to see better liaison between AnCO and the schools, to ensure that all pupils are made aware of the type of courses that are available, and it recommends that the former arrangement where AnCO notified all schools should be re-introduced. Visual presentations and regular visits to schools by AnCO personnel, would, it is felt, be a great help to boys and girls in deciding the type of apprenticeships and training courses, best suited to their ability and talents.

9.ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

9.1The Joint Committee agrees that there should be greater access to adult education and that every encouragement and assistance should be given to adults who are anxious to avail of continuing education. The members were impressed by the submissions made by various groups for an extension of and an improvement in adult education and by the sacrifices undertaken by so many women and men to avail of the existing facilities. It is unquestionable that many adults and particularly married women at home, would be happy to undertake further study if classes were available in the daytime. Most of the classes are held in the evenings usually at 7.30 or 8.00 p.m., times not at all suitable to mothers of families.

9.2The daytime classes for adults at present available on a limited scale in some areas are a tribute to local community effort and initiative, and research in the Dublin area has shown that there is a lively interest in continuing education. Many women have acknowledged the new horizons it has opened up for them and the benefits they have gained both educationally and socially. However, until such time as these classes are made available on a much wider scale and properly structured, the position will remain unsatisfactory and many women will be denied a chance of continuing education.

9.3Since 1979-1980 provision has been made for the appointment of Adult Education Organisers. These organisers are appointed by the V.E.C.’s throughout the country and their main functions are to identify the educational needs of adults in the areas they serve and then endeavour to provide opportunities and facilities to meet these needs. In most areas adult education day classes have not been developed to a high level of activity and in general they place emphasis on leisure subjects. In recent times many women have shown an interest in “returning to education” and they are now requesting alternative courses, including languages, mathematics, current affairs, personal development etc. There is no doubt that day time adult education has not reached its full potential and it does not appear to cater for the growing needs of the community. Those actively involved in day classes have expressed concern at (a) the difficulty in getting suitable accommodation, (b) the difficulty many women, particularly from working class areas, experience in finding the fees to attend classes and (c) the absence of adequate creche facilities, which means that many women who are anxious to attend classes, cannot do so.

9.4The Joint Committee is aware that enrolment is falling in national schools in many of the settled areas and surplus classroom accommodation is becoming available. This surplus accommodation should not be left idle but should be made available for useful community pursuits including day time education classes. The continued underutilisation of accommodation, set up with and maintained by heavy State expenditure should not be tolerated any longer, and where national schools are concerned, the Department of Education, managements, V.E.C.’s and local groups should be able to work out suitable arrangements to facilitate the holding of day time education classes in areas where surplus accommodation is available. Creche charges can be as high as £1.00/1.50 per day and in many cases it is only through the efforts of the women themselves, through fund raising, raffles, sales of work etc. that facilities can be provided. This is clearly an unsatisfactory situation and urgent attention should be given to the provision of creche facilities (see also Par. 12).

9.5A major stumbling block to many women who are at present attending night classes and anxious to do one or two subjects in the Leaving Certificate examination is the £30 entrance fee. Married women with families keen to improve their knowledge and to be of greater help to their school going children, have not the resources to pay the fee and are consequently discontinuing their studies. This represents a tremendous loss not only to the women themselves but to their families, communities and to the State itself, because in the final analysis we can only hope to overcome the many ills besetting society and establish a better environment nationwide, by having a well educated, informed and responsible populace. Accordingly the Joint Committee recommends that the £30 fee be removed and a nominal or less expensive fee per subject be introduced.

9.6It is to be regretted that the media in Ireland, radio and television, plays an inadequate role in the area of education. Women in the home constitute the bulk of listeners to morning programmes on R.T.E. radio and given the potential for good that the media has, as evidenced by some of the current affairs programmes, the Joint Committee feels strongly that part of the morning programmes should comprise items of an educational content. In other countries educational programmes on radio attract large and appreciative audiences and their is no doubt that Irish women would show the same interest if such programmes were available here. The situation where thousands of listeners, mainly women, are subjected daily to radio programmes of a trivial nature is undesirable and it should not be beyond the imagination of R.T.E. to include in their morning programmes items of educational value which will appeal to the intelligence of their female listeners.

9.7Community Radio, when it is established, will present an ideal opportunity for broadcasting educational programmes to serve particular regions. The Joint Committee recommends that the proposed new Community Broadcasting Authority should ensure that all licensees for community radio be made aware of this and be encouraged to meet the need for educational programmes in their areas of operation.

9.8The adult education service in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom seems much more organised and developed than it is here and each area has contact and involvement with a College for Further Education. In Europe the situation is more advanced, and in many continental countries continuing education is now being recognised, not as a separate entity requiring its own organisation, but as an integral and continuing part of the educational system. In some countries, France, West Germany, Italy and Belgium legislation has been passed concerning the establishment of a pattern of education for adults within a framework of permanent education. Until such time as some positive action is taken here to make adult education available on a more organised and cohesive basis and integrated into an improved overall educational framework the present unsatisfactory position will continue with only a limited and costly service being available to the community.

10.POSITION OF WOMEN TEACHERS

10.1Teaching is a profession that attracts a large number of women in Ireland as it does in other countries and it is therefore of particular interest in the context of sex discrimination. In this country the position of women in the profession must give any fair minded individual cause for serious concern as the following paragraphs will show.

10.2Since the early years of the present century the number of women teachers in primary schools has increased steadily with the result that to-day there are more women than men working in this area, where once men were numerically stronger. The situation is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future because of the imbalance at entry to the Colleges of Education, where females now constitute over 70% of the student population. However the predominance of women teachers 15,500 (75%) to 5,100 (25%) is not reflected in the figures for posts of responsibility, with 53% of principalships being held by men and 47% by women. A system in which 25% of the workforce holds more than half of the principalships illustrates the extent to which inequality between the sexes is entrenched in the teaching profession. While the representation of women in the lesser posts of responsibility i.e. Vice-Principal, Grade A and Grade B posts is more equitable, even in these grades, male teachers, having regard to their overall numbers, hold a disproportionate number of the posts i.e. 18%, 33% and 27% respectively (Figures as at 1981, and supplied by the Department of Education).

10.3Having given due praise to the community schools for their work in co-education (Par. 2.4) the Joint Committee regrets that no praise can be afforded them concerning the position of women teachers in the schools. The situation presents a depressing picture of inequality with regard to posts of responsibility and the same is true of the comprehensive and vocational schools. There are 1131 men and 981 women teachers employed in the comprehensive and community schools, with 54 of the principalships held by men and 3 by women. A similar vein of inequality stretches through the posts of responsibility below the Principal grade. The situation in the vocational area where there are 2,985 men and 1,928 women full time is even worse, with only 11 women principals and 30 women vice-principals as against 236 and 215 men respectively (Figures supplied by Department of Education).

10.4In secondary schools where many of the principalships are held by religious the position regarding the promotion of teachers to posts of responsibility is governed by an agreed memorandum between the teachers union and management, an arrangement that appears to be operating to the satisfaction of both sides.

10.5In third level education, the number of women holding posts of responsibility such as professorships, senior lectureships and junior lectureships in the Universities, is very low. In the academic year 1983/1984 out of a total of 1599 female teachers employed in the five universities (U.C.D., Trinity, U.C.C., U.C.G. and Maynooth) there were only 4 full professors, 4 assistant professors, and 29 statutory/senior lecturers. In other words just over 2.3% of the female staff held senior teaching posts. There were 165 females teaching in the grade below Senior Lecturer i.e. Junior Lecturer, representing 10.3% of the total female staff.

10.6In the context of equality of the sexes this is a disturbing situation reflecting the difficulties and perhaps the prejudices that women have to overcome to attain to the highest posts in the Universities in Ireland. Women teachers in the universities find that they are not facilitiated, to the same extent as their male colleagues, in taking up offers of post graduate work abroad, and this constitutes a further obstacle to their chances of being promoted to the most senior posts. It is most disappointing to have to record that a more enlightened and liberal approach to the promotion of women to posts of responsibility is not practised in the universities and the Joint Committee in publicising this situation, hopes that in the future a genuine effort will be made by the governing bodies of the universities to allocate senior posts on a more equitable basis between men and women.

11.INTERVIEW BOARDS

11.1It is not surprising having regard to the small percentage of women holding promotional posts that many teachers, women and men, have expressed concern at the type of questions put to them by members of interview boards and they point especially to questions on marital status. They feel that marital status is often a determining factor in filling vacancies and that married women in particular are discriminated against in this area.

11.2The members of the Joint Committee are agreed that the Department of Education should be giving a lead in ensuring that no questions of a discriminatory nature are put to applicants for teaching posts by interview boards, and that the introduction of a special code or guidelines to be made available to management of schools, primary and post primary, could go a long way to eliminating the type of questioning which many women find discriminatory and sexist and to which they have strong objections. It should be realised that this type of questioning is in contravention of the Employment Equality Act 1977. The members are pleased, therefore, that the Minister for Education has taken action in this area with a view to eliminating all discriminatory practices in the selection of candidates to fill vacancies in schools, both primary and post primary. The Joint Committee in welcoming the Minister’s initiative, would ask her to make it clear to managers that other mechanisms, to obtain specific information about interviewees will not be tolerated, under any circumstances, by the Department of Education.

11.3The Joint Committee was alarmed to hear criticism of the existing structures i.e. the Employment Equality Agency and the Labour Court in dealing with cases of alleged discrimination. It was put to the members that there were abnormal delays in processing cases and that it was difficult to prove discrimination to the satisfaction of the Labour Court. The members are satisfied from enquiries they have made that the time taken to process complaints varies from case to case. Given the procedures to be followed in equality cases, the time taken to proceed through any specific phase depends on a number of variables, some of which are in the control of the complainant and others in the control of the employer. The rejection of a number of cases on the grounds of “insufficient evidence to support the claim” highlights the difficulties peculiar to the teaching profession, in producing acceptable supporting data to back up claims of discrimination.

11.4The members were pleased therefore to learn that one of the teacher organisations has appointed its own equality officer, a person with special competence within the organisation who will work with a small committee to help in the preparation of submissions to the Labour Court and generally support and advise complainants right up to final adjudication stage. They are convinced that a similar appointment by the other teacher organisations would be a useful exercise. The members are of the opinion that in the teaching profession the number of cases of alleged discrimination would be reduced considerably if there was a greater awareness at interview stage of the concept of equality and the need for a heightening of sensitivity among the members of selection boards to the necessity for maintaining scrupulous impartiality. The Joint Committee welcomes the new agreement on appointment procedures that has been concluded between the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Catholic School Managers Association which should, among other things, facilitate in reducing discriminatory factors in the selection of women teachers to posts of responsibility.

11.5The Joint Committee strongly recommends that women should be fairly represented on all interview boards set up in connection with vacancies for teachers in schools and colleges. It would regard a representation of 50% as desirable and feels that with this type of representation women will approach interview boards with a greater expectation of equality and more convinced that they will receive a fair and unbiassed hearing. The Joint Committee accepts that this situation will only be achieved when there is adequate representation of women on (a) local authorities, (b) V.E.C.’s and when there is a major increase in the number of women Inspectors in the Department of Education. Elected representatives should be conscious of the need to remove the existing imbalance by utilising their powers of co-option to ensure a better representation of women on V.E.C.’s

12.CHILD MINDING FACILITIES

12.1The need for proper child minding facilities has long been recognised by those engaged in the social services and it is not surprising that many groups, including the various teacher organisations, who made submissions, referred to the lack of these facilities. Teachers have emphasised the necessity to provide creches and the Joint Committee is convinced that if they were made available women teachers would be less likely to resign or take time off to look after their small children, and thus eliminate further obstacles to their prospects of promotion. It is true that child care facilities are made available, mainly in the Dublin area on a limited scale, by some educational authorities, health boards and by private interests (mainly small groups of concerned parents). Nevertheless the position generally is far from satisfactory and it will only be improved by the provision of community creches on a wide scale throughout the country, particularly in the larger areas of population. Apart from use by teachers community creches would be a boon to parents with school going children and younger children at home and also to mothers attending day time classes where they are available. The Joint Committee is agreed that all future residential developments should incorporate creche facilities and that similar facilities should be provided in existing developments where it is feasible to do so.

12.2The Joint Committee wishes to re-inforce the recommendation in the Report of the Commission on the Status of Women 1972 (a report which has been accepted by all Governments since then) concerning the provision of creches. The report states inter alia “that where new housing schemes are being erected provision should be made for the building of creches or day nurseries in the schemes and we recommend that provision of facilities of this nature should be a condition for the grant of planning permission for such schemes, where many women have an economic necessity to take up part time work”. The Joint Committee feels strongly that the Government should insist that this recommendation will be implemented in full in all new housing schemes under the control of private and local authority interests.

12.3The absence of any operational policy or guidelines in the matter of child care militates against progress being made in the more widespread establishment of creches. The Joint Committee would therefore, in an attempt to bring some degree of uniformity and co-ordination into the system, recommend that this whole area should be placed under the control of a central body with responsibility for the identification of suitable accommodation, statutory registration of the various types of child minding facilities provided in the different regions and recruitment and training of staff to run the creches. This type of control is established in other countries, Sweden and Australia, for example, where child minding facilities are given a high degree of priority. In these countries facilities are normally available before, after and during school hours, and are therefore of particular benefit to working parents, who otherwise would have to remain at home to look after their small children. Ideally this is the type of service that the Joint Committee would like to see established in this country, where many women are compelled to seek work outside of the home and many others, working full time in the home, are anxious to undertake continuing education.

13.Recommendations of the Joint Committee

Having considered the submissions on education received from various individuals and groups, and having taken oral evidence, the Joint Committee puts forward the following recommendations:-

(1)All new schools be fully co-educational i.e. pupils to be taught together in the same classroom, with equality of subject availability and take up. The Department of Education should establish the necessary structures to accelerate the implementation of such a policy without further delay.

(2)Reform of school curriculum to allow subject and career choice to be widened, with appropriate and necessary adjustment to timetabling arrangements.

(3)A programme to teach basic skills for living, and embracing social and political science to be introduced in all post primary schools.

(4)Assistance and professional training to be given to teachers to enable them to cope with the psychological problems of pupils, together with the necessary professional back-up services.

(5)A fully comprehensive sex education programme embracing the whole area of responsible personal relationships to be introduced for primary and secondary schools.

(6)Colleges of Education and the Universities to include all aspects of equality and the elimination of sexism in the preparation of students for the teaching profession.

(7)In-service training for teachers to be established on a regular and systematic basis.

(8)An increase in the number of guidance counsellors, priority to be given to the areas of greatest need.

(9)The process of amalgamating schools, where feasible, to be accelerated. The Department of Education should play a more dynamic role by offering incentives and encouragement to school managements in areas where amalgamation is feasible.

(10)A process of flexibility and co-operation between Department of Education, managements and teachers to allow for the interchange of pupils and staff between schools to enable girls to avail of certain subjects.

(11)Improvement in the pupil/teacher ratio, in order to provide a better and wider choice of subjects for girls.

(12)Greater involvement of, and support for girls in training and apprenticeship schemes run by AnCO and the other State agencies. Department of Education should be more active in promoting initiatives to ensure that girls will be able to benefit fully from the existing schemes.

(13)The extension of daytime classes for women, particularly in areas where surplus classroom accommodation is available.

(14)Abolition of the £30 fee for mature students taking Leaving Certificate examination and a reduction in fees for continuing education.

(15)Use of media, (national and community) to provide educational programmes for women in the home.

(16)Better representation of women on all interview boards for vacancies for teachers in schools.

(17)Provision of child minding facilities in all new residential housing schemes and in existing ones, where feasible.

CONCLUSION

While accepting that there is now a greater awareness among the general public of discrimination against women in all walks of life, insufficient affirmative action has been taken to eliminate the problem. A restructuring of the existing educational system, backed up with a positive commitment by the Government, and spearheaded by the Department of Education, to eradicate all elements of sexism in the area of education is seen as a necessary first step to bring about a society where equality for all the citizens will no longer be an unfulfilled dream but a reality. Changes in the educational system will not be effected overnight and changes will come only through the wholehearted efforts of the Department, teachers, management and parents, each group working in close co-operation with the other. Attitudes long held must change if society is to appreciate the benefits, educationally and socially, that will inevitably ensue from an educational system free from every form of discrimination.

The Joint Committee agrees that there is no sustainable rationale for the segregation of schools on the basis of sex and it sees the concept of co-education as the one which should be fostered and established on a nationwide basis. The members were alarmed at the obvious gulf that exists between the thinking of the Department of Education and parents. They know from their work throughout the country and from the submissions received from responsible groups that parents generally favour co-education, realising that it will be through such a system that their children will receive the broadly based education necessary to equip them for the changing and challenging conditions of the present day.

The Joint Committee accepts that some of the recommendations, set out in this report, have been advanced by other groups at different times. The E.S.R.I. report “Schooling and Sex Roles”, commissioned by the Employment Equality Agency, was considered by the Joint Committee and it endorses the findings and recommendations contained therein. Likewise it would favour many of the proposals in the Minister for Education’s “Programme for Action 1984/87”, relating to the elimination of sexism in education.

The members as public representatives are fully aware of the need for restraints on public expenditure during a time of recession and they know that many needed reforms may have to be deferred. Nevertheless they are unanimous in stating that there should be no further delay in accelerating the movement to eradicate the inequalities between the sexes in our educational system and that now is the time for affirmative action particularly on the part of the Department of Education. They hope that the recent initiatives in this area by the Minister for Education herald the commencement of a sustained programme of affirmative action aimed at reaching out to and changing the entrenched attitudes of so many concerned in the education of the nation’s children.

The Joint Committee endorses the conclusions, in relation to education, in the report of the Committee of Inquiry of the European Parliament into the “Situation of Women in Europe”, published in May 1984. The report states inter alia “any fundamental change in society can only be achieved through a change in the education system. If women are to be guaranteed liberation and equality of opportunity this must be based on equal opportunities from the very start of their education. From generation to generation parents and teachers pass on unchanged attitudes to their children and pupils and this influence is significant, as boys and girls see around them the role they are expected to play in society”. In recognising the need for change in Irish society the Joint Committee agrees that any fundamental change must be initiated through the educational system, so that it becomes one of equality in the fullest sense with pupils of both sexes receiving the same education in the class room and the same opportunities to use that education when they leave school.

The Joint Committee on Women’s Rights emphasises its conviction that co-education is the vehicle by which this situation will be brought about and that the advantages deriving from co-education will eventually be reflected in all areas of society. It is further convinced that the implementation of all of the proposals it has made throughout this report is vital for the education and training of our young people if they are to take their places as equal partners in the modern world. Accordingly the Joint Committee exhorts the Government and in particular the Minister for Education to accept and implement the recommendations of this first interim report.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The members of the Joint Committee wish to express thanks to the individuals and groups who made written submissions dealing with education and to the following who made oral presentations:-

Mrs. Sylvia Meehan - Chairperson, Employment Equality Agency

Mr. Liam Ó Laidhin - Former Secretary, Department of Education

Council for the Status of Women

AIM Group

Conference of Major Religious Superiors (Ireland)

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland

Irish Federation of University Teachers

Irish National Teachers Organisation

Teachers Union of Ireland

They also wish to thank Ms. Eunice McCarthy, M. Psych. Sc., Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University College Dublin for research undertaken by her at the request of the Joint Committee.

CHAIRMAN

23^rd October, 1984.