Add it up Three steps to better co-operation

1 A proper policy on North-South educational co-operation from the governments in Dublin and Belfast, preceded by a Green Paper…

1A proper policy on North-South educational co-operation from the governments in Dublin and Belfast, preceded by a Green Paper to be circulated widely in both jurisdictions for discussion. This could usefully be the main item on the agenda at the first meeting between the three ministers in charge of education on the island: whoever takes over from Mary Hanafin in the Department of Education and Science, and Caitriona Ruane (Minister for Education) and Sir Reg Empey (Minister for Employment and Learning) in the Northern administration.

2As a first concrete step, transformation of the North South Exchange Consortium into a statutory and properly funded facilitating body for school and youth exchanges. This body would systematically oversee, evaluate and fund cross-Border co-operation in education.

3A real commitment both by the governments and the higher education institutions to work together to raise the level of research and development on the island in order to turn it into the kind of "knowledge economy" which will ensure its future prosperity (an essential ingredient for its future harmony). A first step would be for the Government to extend programmes such as Science Foundation Ireland and the Programme of Research in Third Level Institutions to all universities and higher education institutions in the North.