THE Education Bill is being represented as pro parent, Education & Living reported last Tuesday. This is true. The Bill is very good news for parents. It is good news for teachers too. It recognises in law teachers right to consultation and full involvement in the planning of education through their membership of school boards of management and of education boards.

Moreover, teachers can look forward to the legal obligation on education boards to provide support services, teacher welfare services and staff development programmes.

The Bill is based on partnership good news for parents and good news for teachers. Everybody - parents, teachers and especially students - are winners in this Bill.

The role of the inspectorate is a good example of how this partnership is developed. Concerns have been voiced about the role of the inspectorate, about teaches trembling at the prospect of an inspection, about the introduction of league tables and about extra burdens which will reduce teaching and learning in schools.

The Bill will have quite the opposite effect. Section 35, which deals with the inspectorate, is a progressive development and a forward looking provision, which is based on a partnership between inspector and schools.

Let's look at how the Bill spells out this partnership. The Bill regards the inspector as an adviser to schools on educational matters and to teachers and boards of management in respect of the performance of their duties. The inspector will help schools to keep in touch with educational developments, to remain up to date with advances in teaching and learning and to ensure that courses provided are relevant to the young people of today. The Bill is very specific about all of this.

Teachers and principals have a challenging and demanding job. In Ireland our expectations of education have always been high and this is especially true today. We expect schools to provide young people with a broad and rounded education, to prepare young people for life and to contribute to the economy by giving them skills and competencies. The Education Bill sets out the ways in which the inspectorate will support teachers in their work.

Section 52 provides that a board shall make arrangements for the preparation of a school plan in consultation with parents, patron, teaching staff and students.

School planning is not something new. It is well established in many schools. Schools know that planning is essential to respond to the needs of pupils. Inspectors can help schools by advising on best practice in relation to school planning. They will help schools to plan in a way which involves partnership between parents, teachers and the board of management.

The inspectors will support parents in this partnership as well. One of the functions of the inspectorate set out in the Bill is to provide advice to parents associations. Parents and teachers have a common goal, the welfare of students and their education. This goal can be achieved in a spirit of co operation. Inspectors can help in a special way by advising schools on how parents and teachers can co operate.

The Education Bill provides that inspectors will also evaluate the management of the schools and the quality and effectiveness of the education provided in schools, including the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of individual teachers. Inspectors will evaluate the education standards in schools, assess the implementation of regulations made by the Minister and report to the directors of the education boards on their findings and on the needs of students attending these schools.

This does not mean that teachers should tremble at the prospect of an inspection. Rather, the inspectorate, having worked with the schools on their planning, return in a supportive role to assess whether the goals of the school are being met and what further, steps can be taken so that the plans of the school can be realised. Teachers, parents and inspectors have a common interest in working together for this.

I HAVE used the inspectorate as an example of the partnership model. The Bill is based on partnership between all of those involved in education.

The Education Bill clarifies the roles, responsibilities and rights of teachers, of parents and of students. The inspectorate will help teachers, students and parents to understand their roles, to clarify their responsibilities and to recognise their rights and the rights of the other parties.

Passage of the Education Bill will be the beginning of this process. The vision of partnership in the Bill is challenging for all the partners and, will take time to put into practice. This working out of procedures will be done through negotiation and agreement. Nothing will be imposed.

This Education Bill was developed through discussion and consensus. This is the way it will be implemented.

This Bill is designed to ensure that the learner is at the heart of the education system and that we all work in partnership to meet the learner's needs.