A Commission on Teaching and Learning, which will examine all aspects of education provision in the State, is to be established by the Government next month.
Department of Education officials are finalising plans for the commission, potentially the most important review of Irish education in two decades.
The Minister for Education, Dr Woods, has been centrally involved in planning the initiative.
The commission is likely to be established shortly after the Labour Court presents its proposals in the teachers' dispute - probably early next month. The Department of Education does not want the commission to become entangled in the dispute involving the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI).
The commission will, however, address the general sense of grievance in the teaching profession. One source said the commission will be modelled on the Nursing Commission, established during the nurses' dispute.
Among other issues, the commission is expected to examine:
the professional development of teachers;
teacher training;
the management of schools;
the resources required to upgrade Irish education at all levels.
The commission is expected to be headed by a high-profile figure who may have a background in business rather than in education. Some of the leading figures in Irish education - including various professors of education - will be asked to play a key role. Leading international figures from the OECD and representatives from Northern Ireland and Britain may also serve on the review body. The commission will be asked to deliver an interim report before the summer, with its full report due next year.
It is being established as Irish education moves from an era when it was seriously underfunded to a position where the Exchequer has the resources to bring investment to a level taken for granted in other EU states.
The commission is seen as an opportunity to take stock, identify priorities and reflect on the future shape of Irish education.
After years of under-investment, the education attainment of the population is still below EU and OECD averages - despite the massive strides made in recent years. One in 10 children leave primary school with significant literacy problems, while investment in primary education is very low by EU standards.
The review is expected to reopen the debate about local education structures. The Irish education system is hugely centralised. To counter this, the Rainbow Coalition proposed regional education boards to bring education services closer to local communities but this was abandoned by the Government when it took office.
The commission may also examine the fallout of the decision by some religious orders to scale down their day-to-day involvement in schools.
The decision to establish the commission reflects confidence in Government circles that the Labour Court may open the way for a resolution of the ASTI dispute. The ASTI executive is due to examine the Labour Court proposal at a meeting of its central executive committee on March 3rd.