The Department of Education is a department of the Irish State with responsibility for education and training. The mission of the Department is to provide high-quality education, which will: Enable individuals to achieve their full potential and to participate fully as members of society, and Contribute to Ireland's social, cultural and economic development. In pursuit of this mission, the Department has the following high-level goals: To promote equity and inclusion To promote quality outcomes To promote lifelong learning To plan for education that is relevant to personal, social, cultural and economic need To enhance the capacity of the Department of Education and Skills for service delivery, policy formulation, research and evaluation. In support of these high-level goals, the Department is engaged in a wide range of activities covering the key elements of policy planning, quality assurance, resourcing, regulation and evaluation, as well as providing a broad range of support services for the education sector.