The Convention on Education was established to deliver on a Programme for Government commitment to hold a Convention bringing together all stakeholders in Education. An independent Chair of the Convention was appointed in July 2025 and is supported in this important work by five Deputy Chairs who lead the four groups that comprise the Convention:
• Children and young people.
• Parents and guardians.
• School employees and early years educators.
• Education stakeholders.
The 150 individuals selected to be participants in the Convention each bring a unique voice and perspective to the proceedings.
The Chair and Deputy Chairs are also supported by a Convention secretariat, who are appointed to advise in their fields of expertise and who support the Chairs and Deputy Chairs in safeguarding the integrity of the Convention’s work.
The agenda for the Convention on Education was approved by Government in April of this year and provides a framework to guide discussions over the Convention sessions.
To ensure the independence of the Convention process decisions on the format of the meetings and panellists who speak at the Convention are made by the Chair, Deputy Chairs and Secretariat.
I understand that participants are hearing from contributors from a diversity of backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives, on a variety of topics over the course of the four Convention weekends. This will help inform their deliberations to make recommendations on the future of our education system.
