Irish Aid launches report on Development Education in Ireland
25/11/15
Irish Aid’s current Development Education Strategy aims to reach a wide audience throughout Ireland
Minister Seán Sherlock, TD, Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North-South Co-operation, this week launched the National Report on Global Education in Ireland. The Report contains recommendations for strengthening Development Education in Ireland, as well as informing the next Irish Aid Development Education Strategy. Increasing awareness in Ireland of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live is a key component in Irish Aid’s goal to tackle global poverty and injustice, to promote peace and democracy and to safeguard human rights.
Development Education is an educational process aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live. Irish Aid’s current Development Education Strategy aims to reach a wide audience throughout Ireland. It forms a vital component of Irish Aid’s efforts to tackle global poverty and injustice, to promote peace and democracy and to safeguard human rights. As our world becomes more interconnected, the importance of mutual understanding and respect between diverse societies and perspectives grows. Development Education empowers people to analyse and challenge the root causes and consequences of global hunger, poverty and injustice; inspiring the Irish public to become active global citizens, both locally and globally, in the fight for a fairer and more sustainable future for all.
Development Education empowers people to analyse and challenge the root causes and consequences of global hunger, poverty and injustice; inspiring the Irish public to become active global citizens, both locally and globally, in the fight for a fairer and more sustainable future for all.
The Report was led by an International Peer Review Team from the Global Education Network Europe (GENE), including experts from Austria, Finland, Luxembourg and Belgium. It acknowledges the rich history, traditions, experience and skills evident in Development Education in Ireland. It also commends the strong and longstanding commitment of Irish Aid, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to Development Education and recognises positive potential and opportunities ahead for Development Education in Ireland, particularly in the context of the new Sustainable Development Goals.
The Report recommends that Irish Aid should continue its partnership approach in the delivery of Development Education, strengthening strategic cooperation with all relevant ministries and agencies, including the Department of Environment Community and Local Government, Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Department of Education and Skills.
Irish Aid has five strategic multi-annual funding partnerships in Development Education to support a number of priority areas. These partnerships include initial teacher education at primary level through the DICE programme, a comprehensive range of supports at post-primary level through the WorldWise Global Schools programme, an extra-curricular non-formal Development Education programme targeting third level students (Suas), a capacity building programme for professional development educators (IDEA) and an online portal of Development Education resources.
In addition to its strategic partnerships, complementary support is provided by Irish Aid for the implementation of specific, innovative, results focused initiatives that support the achievement of the objectives of the Development Education Strategy through the Annual Grant Scheme. Development Education grants, of which 28 were awarded under the 2015 Scheme, support a wide range of development education initiatives across all sectors but with a strong focus in the non-formal sector, particularly the youth and adult community sectors, which received 63% of this year’s overall funding for the Scheme.
With the current Development Education Strategy will expire at the end of 2015, Irish Aid is engaged in the ongoing process of developing a successor strategy. To inform the development of the new Development Education Strategy, Irish Aid invited GENE to conduct a European Peer Review of Development Education in Ireland. The findings and recommendations of the Report will be taken into account in the development of the 2016 Development Education Strategy.
Download Report
Further information of the work of Irish Aid in Development Education can be found here.