Schooling in Northern Ireland: Meeting the challenges of the twenty first century

Abstract

Political developments since the Good Friday Agreement (1998) have initiated and encouraged a process of change along a range of dimensions with the intention of creating a more inclusive society in Northern Ireland, which is reflective of wider global trends. Education policy is a significant element in this process. This paper highlights the ways in which current policy is attempting to address division within the education system its resultant social problems. The paper also considers the difficulties presented by educational reform and proposes that success does not necessarily lie in structural reform but more in the acceptance and promotion of diversity in the context of the curriculum.

Moving barriers: Promoting learning for diversity in initial teacher education

“…Most recently, CCEA (2002c) has outlined a series of proposals which constitute a fundamental review of the curriculum with the intention of making it more relevant to the needs of a postconflict Northern Ireland and thus assisting in the achievement of the aspirations of the Good Friday Agreement. Hagan (2003) suggests that commitment to educational reform, increased tolerance, diversity and pluralism places a significant obligation on schools and teachers if current policy objectives are to be achieved fully.…”