The Special Committee on Arts and Education has called for submissions on issues relating to arts education.

On Thursday 28 September 2006, John O'Donoghue TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Education and Science, announced the establishment of a Special Committee on Arts and Education. Since its establishment, the Committee has explored ways in which the Arts Council can best align its strategies for the promotion and encouragement of the arts with the priorities of the formal education system.

The Committee on Arts and Education now invites submissions from interested parties to inform its deliberations on the following:

• Developing a sustainable framework to co-ordinate, consolidate, develop and disseminate existing resources and services within the arts and education spheres alike as a means of supporting schools, artists and arts organizations to undertake new stand-alone and collaborative initiatives to enrich curriculum implementation.
• Establishing mechanisms to facilitate and support partnerships between the arts and education communities at local, national and international levels
• Establishing structures by which the Department of Education and Science, Department of Arts Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council can work together towards the co-ordination of arts and education policy and practice.

Parties interested in making a submission to the committee should do so in writing before 5.30 p.m. on Monday 26 February, 2007.  Submissions must be typed and can be submitted by post, addressed to, the Special Committee on Arts and Education, Arts Council, 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, or can be emailed to Deirdre.Eustace@artscouncil.ie

Posted: 6 February 2007