A new committee has been established to promote and encourage the arts within the education system.
The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Department of Education jointly directed the Arts council to establish the five person committee which will advise on matters relating to arts and education.
Under the terms of reference the committee is to report to the Arts Council by May 2007.
Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism John O'Donoghue said that it was "vital" that arts are integrated into the education system.
"If we are to make the arts available to everyone, the process must start when the child is still at school as it is never too early to begin a lifelong engagement with the arts," Minister O'Donoghue said at the formal launch today.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin added: "By establishing this new Arts and Education Committee a new vision of how we can best encourage a love of arts in our schools and use the curriculum and facilities to all young people's best advantage will be explored. I am looking forward to seeing how we can maximise the contribution from the arts sector in education.
The committee will be chaired by Mary Nunan, Arts Council member, and it will include Jerome Morrissey, National Centre for Training in Education, Pat MacSitric, assistant chief inspector at the Department of Education, Derek West, former principal of Newpark Comprehensive; and Orlaith McBride, Arts Council member.