What's the point of the national parents councils?

political analyst

https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2023/0305/1360393-parents-council-post-primary/

The fact that the NPCCPP was State-funded (and, presumably, its primary-school counterpart also has such funding) means that it already had a conflict of interest - how can a State-funded organisation be relied upon to represent parents who want to raise concerns about education issue, e.g. curriculum changes?

Surely, parents can raise these concerns with their TDs. So what's the point of the national parents councils?

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058287009/whats-the-point-of-the-national-parents-councils

The point was that the organisation represents parents. Being State-funded doesn’t mean there was any conflict of interest, quite the opposite - they represented the interests of parents at national level, cutting out the middlemen local politicians.

The problem was, as you’re pointing out probably without realising it, that the organisation only represented the views and interests of about 15% of parent’s associations -

A draft copy of the review of the National Parents Council Post Primary (NPCPP), which was commissioned by the Department of Education, has found that the organisation currently represents fewer than 15% of parents' associations here.

It was on that basis that the report found the organisation were no longer fit for purpose, because they weren’t providing effective value to the State for the funds which they were being provided with by the Exchequer.

Jim_Hodge

There isn't a point of it nor was there ever. It was supposed to represent parents but it never did, at Primary or Secondary level. An organisation that spent C€200k a year doing nothing but claiming to do so on behalf of parents who never selected them or asked them to represent them,

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058287009/whats-the-point-of-the-national-parents-councils

Money, what is ever the point apart from that

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120318922#Comment_120318922

Bit like The National Women’s Council so