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Department of Education and Youth#History

{{Short description|Irish government department}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox government agency

|agency_name = Department of Education and Youth

|type = Department

|image = 20130807 dublin114.JPG

|image_size = 200px

|seal = Irish Department of Education and Youth logo.png

|seal_width = 200px

|seal_caption =

|formed = 26 August 1921

|preceding2 =

|dissolved =

|superseding =

|jurisdiction = Government of Ireland

|headquarters = Tyrone House,
Marlborough Street,
Dublin

|coordinates = {{coord|53|20|57|N|6|15|27|W|type:landmark|display=inline}}

|employees =

|budget = €11.9 billion (2025){{cite web |url=https://whereyourmoneygoes.gov.ie/en/education/2025/ |title=Education: 2025 |website=Where Your Money Goes |publisher=Government of Ireland |access-date=16 May 2025}}

|minister1_name = Helen McEntee

|minister1_pfo =
Minister for Education and Youth

|chief1_name = Bernie McNally

|chief1_position =
Secretary General

|child1_agency = National Council for Special Education

|child2_agency = State Examinations Commission

|child3_agency = Irish Research Council

|child4_agency = An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta

|website = {{official website}}

|footnotes =

}}

The Department of Education and Youth ({{langx|ga|An Roinn Oideachais agus Óige}}) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Education and Youth.

Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are at Marlborough Street, Dublin. The departmental team consists of the following:

Overview

Chief among the department's priorities are:

  • the promotion of equity and inclusion, quality outcomes and lifelong learning
  • planning for education that is relevant to personal, social, cultural and economic needs
  • enhancement of the capacity of the department for service delivery, policy formulation, research and evaluation{{cn|date=October 2023}}

History

In the revolutionary period, the position was established in 1920 as the Minister for Irish.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-10-27/20/|title=The Irish Language |journal=Dáil Debates|volume=F|issue=14|access-date=6 September 2019|date=27 October 1919|archive-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831140252/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-10-27/20/|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1920-06-29/16/|title=Ratification Of Ministers|journal=Dáil Debates|volume=F|issue=15|access-date=6 September 2019|date=29 June 1920|archive-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831140251/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1920-06-29/16/|url-status=live}} This was expanded as the Secretary for Education in the Government of the 2nd Dáil.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-08-25/3/|title=Alteration Of Ministry Of Irish To Ministry Of Education|journal=Dáil Debates|volume=S|issue=6|access-date=6 September 2019|date=25 August 1921|archive-date=6 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906142426/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-08-25/3/|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-08-26/4/|title=The New Ministry|journal=Dáil Debates|volume=S|issue=7|access-date=6 September 2019|date=26 August 1921|archive-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831094247/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-08-26/4/|url-status=live}}

It was provided a statutory basis by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, passed soon after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. This act provided it with:{{Cite ISB|year=1924|num=16|section=1parl=ifs||title=Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924|stitle=Establishment of the Departments of State|date=21 April 1924|access-date=5 October 2019}}

{{quote frame|the administration and business generally of public services in connection with Education, including primary, secondary and university education, vocational and technical training, endowed schools, reformatories, and industrial schools, and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public services specified in the Fourth Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Oideachais or (in English) the Minister for Education.}}

It also assigned it with the following agencies:{{Cite ISB|year=1924|num=16|schedule=y|parl=ifs|title=Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, Schedule|date=21 April 1924|access-date=5 October 2019}}

  • The Commissioners of National Education in Ireland.
  • The Intermediate Education Board for Ireland.
  • The Commissioners of Education in Ireland (Endowed Schools).
  • The Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools.
  • The Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland (business and functions relating to Technical Instruction only).
  • The College of Science.
  • The Geological Survey in Ireland.
  • The National Museum of Science and Art.
  • The National Library of Ireland.
  • The National Gallery of Ireland.
  • The Metropolitan School of Art.
  • Meteorological Services.

In the early years of the state, the main focus was on running the national school primary system. Free secondary education was provided from 1968. The department also had the task of overseeing reformatory and industrial schools from 1922. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which reported in 2009 (the "Ryan Report"), found that this was rarely achieved.

The department's headquarters were situated within the grounds of Tyrone House, Dublin in what was formerly the home of the National Education Commissioners.

=Alteration of name and transfer of functions=

The name and functions of the department have changed by means of statutory instruments.

class="wikitable"
Date

!Effect

2 June 1924

|Establishment of the Department of Education{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1924/sro/804/made/en/print|title=Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (Commencement) Order 1924|date=30 May 1924|access-date=11 September 2019|website=Irish Statute Book}}

13 July 1943

|Allocation of the Genealogical Office{{Cite ISB|year=1943|type=sro|num=267|title=Allocation of Administration (Genealogical Office) Order 1943|date=13 July 1943|access-date=9 November 2020}}

1 October 1997

|Renamed as the Department of Education and Science{{Cite ISB|year=1997|type=si|num=430|title=Education (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1997|date=30 September 1997|access-date=11 September 2019}}

26 September 1998

|Transfer of Vocational Education Superannuation from the Department of the Environment and Local Government{{Cite ISB|year=1998|type=si|num=362|title=Vocational Education Superannuation Schemes (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1998|date=26 September 1998|access-date=6 December 2020}}

25 June 2002

|Transfer of the Genealogical Office to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism{{Cite ISB|year=2002|type=si|num=328|title=Genealogical Office (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002|date=25 June 2002|access-date=9 November 2020}}

1 May 2010

|Transfer of Skills Training from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment{{Cite ISB|year=2010|type=si|num=187|title=Employment Programmes and Services and Skills Training (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2010|date=27 April 2010|access-date=11 September 2019}}

1 May 2010

|Transfer of Research to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment{{Cite ISB|year=2010|type=si|num=188|title=Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2010|date=27 April 2010|access-date=11 September 2019}}

2 May 2010

|Renamed as the Department of Education and Skills{{Cite ISB|year=2010|type=si|num=184|title=Education and Science (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2010|date=27 April 2010|access-date=11 September 2019}}

11 May 2011

|Transfer of the National Education Welfare Board to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs{{Cite ISB|year=2011|type=si|num=215|title=National Education Welfare Board (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011|date=10 May 2011|access-date=3 October 2020}}

21 October 2020

|Transfer of Further and Higher Education to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science{{Cite ISB|year=2020|type=si|num=451|title=Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020|date=20 October 2020|access-date=16 November 2020}}

22 October 2020

|Renamed as the Department of Education{{Cite ISB|year=2020|type=si|num=450|title=Education and Skills (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2020|date=20 October 2020|access-date=16 November 2020}}

1 January 2021

|Transfer of Education Welfare from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth{{Cite ISB|year=2020|type=si|num=588|title=Education Welfare (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020|date=1 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}

1 May 2025

|Transfer of Youth from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth{{cite ISB|type=si|number=181|year=2025|title=Youth (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025|date=29 April 2025|access-date=16 May 2025}}

2 May 2025

|Renamed as the Department of Education and Youth{{cite ISB|type=si|number=179|year=2025|title=Education (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2025|date=29 April 2025|access-date=16 May 2025}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{official website}}

{{Irish Government Departments}}

{{authority control}}

Education

Category:Educational administration

Ireland

Category:Education in the Republic of Ireland

Category:Science and technology in the Republic of Ireland

Category:Ministries established in 1921

Category:1921 establishments in Ireland