Education is a key tool in tacking poverty - Minister Sherlock

Education is a key tool in tackling poverty - Minister Sherlock

The Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion, and North-South Co-operation Seán Sherlock TD today highlighted the importance of education in the fight against global poverty.

Minister Sherlock a meeting with Irish Aid fellows in Limerick.  These students, from Ireland’s Key Partner Countries, are funded by Irish Aid to pursue postgraduate studies in Ireland in fields such as education, business, law, social policy, health, gender, and the environment. 

Minister Sherlock said:

“Education is a vital component in ending global poverty. It not only expands personal choices and opportunities but also supports sustainable economic growth and productivity.

“The Irish Aid Fellowship Programme has been a key component of Irish Aid’s support for development in our key partner countries since 1974. In recent years, we have ensured that the programme is more closely tied to development priorities in the countries in which Irish Aid works.

 “The Fellowship Programme creates a strong personal and professional alumni network that will endure for many years, which we will support through our Embassies.

“The success of these programmes will be measured by the extent to which the talents and the skills that are being developed contribute to the future economic growth and wellbeing of the fellows’ countries.”

ENDS
Press Office
14 April 2015
  
Notes to Editors:

• Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas development programme. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. www.irishaid.ie

• Irish Aid has funded a Fellowship Training Programme since 1974. The primary objective of the Fellowship Programme is to strengthen the capacity of partner organisations benefiting from Ireland’s support in our key partner countries.  Fellowships are targeted at mid-career professionals and awards are aligned to priorities and thematic areas identified in Ireland’s country strategy programmes.

• In 2014, Irish Aid supported fifty seven students from our nine partner countries and Burundi (Courtney Fellowship) to undertake postgraduate studies in both Ireland (29) and in region (28). Current fellows in Ireland are studying at UCD, TCD, DCU, Kimmage Development Studies Centre, NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway, UCC, DIT, AIT and UL.

• Ten scholarships were also awarded under the Kader Asmal Fellowship for South Africa which aims to strengthen the capacity of organisations in South Africa in contributing to the reduction of poverty and vulnerability through economic development.  It is named in honour of the late Professor Kader Asmal, who was the founder of the Irish Anti Apartheid Movement and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

• Fellowships are also awarded to successful post graduate applicants from Vietnam under the Irish Development Experience Sharing Programme (IDEAS) Programme. The IDEAS Programme commenced in 2009 in line with a commitment in Irish Aid’s 2007-2010 Vietnam Country Programme and is a programme of experience sharing in support of high level capacity development of Vietnamese institutions engaged in economic and financial governance.  Under the Vietnam country programme, twenty five scholarships were awarded to Vietnamese graduates to pursue postgraduate studies in banking, finance and business administration and three scholarships were awarded under the technical strand in 2014.

• Irish Aid is also supporting four teachers from the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH) who are studying hospitality management and tourism in the Dublin Institute of Technology.

• A new strand to the fellowship programme for 2014-2015 is the Metta fellowship. The Metta Development Foundation (Metta) is a Myanmar National non-governmental organisation established to assist communities recovering from the consequences of conflict and humanitarian emergencies. The fellowship will contribute to capacity building in Metta. One fellowship was awarded for the academic year 2014/2015.