The Education Nation podcast launches on Monday, January 18 when the first episode drops to coincide with Catholic Schools week. We have lined up a host of fascinating guests who have intriguing stories to tell about their own career journeys and their role within the education system. As we hear their stories, we hope that the podcast will help listeners to develop a better understanding of the complexity, the richness and the diversity that make our education system so unique and our schools and teachers so highly valued.
For all its many flaws and frustrations, our education system is something that this nation has succeeded in and something of which we can be proud. We are an Education Nation. Our love affair with education can be traced back to the monasteries, to the Bardic schools, and the Hedge schools, through the tyranny of occupation and the Penal Laws and on through the establishment of the National School system and the fervour and zeal of the 19th century visionaries who founded congregations committed to providing education to the urban and rural poor.
Like the SNCF trains in France, it would be our education system that would unite the country. School became the formative experience shared by all, rich and poor, urban and rural”
Education was a priority for the new state in the 20th century, a commitment which would eventually lead to the revolutionary announcement of free education for all, by Minister Donagh O’Malley in 1966. This announcement would have a transformative impact on the system and society as a whole, as it included the provision of education and free transport for those up to 18yrs old, even those living in the most remote parts of the nation. Like the SNCF trains in France, it would be our education system that would unite the country. School became the formative experience shared by all, rich and poor, urban and rural.
Exodus
In the second half of the century, the exodus of the religious and ordained staff from our schools gathered pace, and the need for management bodies and new forms of patronage and trusteeship became apparent.
At the very end of the century the Education Act of 1998 enshrined the right of access for all children to education, established Boards of Management for primary and post primary schools and formally defined the roles of the various stakeholders and partners in our complex system.
Already in the 21st century we have seen significant expansion of school building programmes, the establishment of the new patron bodies and Catholic trusts, a curriculum and assessment revolution which has brought new subjects, new pedagogies and critically an exponential growth in the provision for students with additional and special educational needs.
Looking to the near future we will likely see continued reform and innovation in curriculum and assessment. The re-configuration of primary schools will surely gather pace and should provide greater choice for parents, especially in primary. We hope too that the work done by various Catholic Education Bodies to revise and review vision, mission and structures will herald a new era of confidence in Catholic education with stronger and more aligned and revised supports and services available to a reduced number of Catholic schools.
Through it all, our love of education and our determination that all the children of the nation would be cherished equally has endured”
At different stages in our history and evolution as a nation we have been challenged and our commitment to education has been tested to the limit. We have struggled but we have never balked. Whether it be in times of occupation or times of revolution and the birth of the nation, the many years of poverty before our newfound affluence, or even the more recent challenge of a global pandemic. Through it all, our love of education and our determination that all the children of the nation would be cherished equally has endured.
Today our love affair with education has never been so strong. Our schools, for the remain deeply embedded within their local communities and educational issues are a constant part of public discourse. There is no other country in the world where the choice of poets in an English exam paper or the marking scheme of a maths paper will be discussed in parliament and make the front page of newspapers!
Complex
The system is complex and continues to face up to the opportunities and challenges of the modern world while seeking to hold on to all that is good from our history and heritage. In this podcast we are going to be exploring our Education Nation in conversation with people who currently hold and who have held key leadership positions across all levels of the system. We have deliberately drawn our guests from every different nook and cranny of the system, from among principals and teachers, patrons, leaders of Catholic trusts, from among religious and from universities, from thought leaders and researchers, those who provide training, support and leadership in Catholic education. We will also hear from others who may not share our sense of mission and who can challenge us with different and even opposing views of our Education Nation.
The Podcast will be available January 18 on most podcast streaming services.
Education Nation
The Education Nation podcast launches on Monday, January 18 when the first episode drops to coincide with Catholic Schools week. We have lined up a host of fascinating guests who have intriguing stories to tell about their own career journeys and their role within the education system. As we hear their stories, we hope that the podcast will help listeners to develop a better understanding of the complexity, the richness and the diversity that make our education system so unique and our schools and teachers so highly valued.
For all its many flaws and frustrations, our education system is something that this nation has succeeded in and something of which we can be proud. We are an Education Nation. Our love affair with education can be traced back to the monasteries, to the Bardic schools, and the Hedge schools, through the tyranny of occupation and the Penal Laws and on through the establishment of the National School system and the fervour and zeal of the 19th century visionaries who founded congregations committed to providing education to the urban and rural poor.
Education was a priority for the new state in the 20th century, a commitment which would eventually lead to the revolutionary announcement of free education for all, by Minister Donagh O’Malley in 1966. This announcement would have a transformative impact on the system and society as a whole, as it included the provision of education and free transport for those up to 18yrs old, even those living in the most remote parts of the nation. Like the SNCF trains in France, it would be our education system that would unite the country. School became the formative experience shared by all, rich and poor, urban and rural.
Exodus
In the second half of the century, the exodus of the religious and ordained staff from our schools gathered pace, and the need for management bodies and new forms of patronage and trusteeship became apparent.
At the very end of the century the Education Act of 1998 enshrined the right of access for all children to education, established Boards of Management for primary and post primary schools and formally defined the roles of the various stakeholders and partners in our complex system.
Already in the 21st century we have seen significant expansion of school building programmes, the establishment of the new patron bodies and Catholic trusts, a curriculum and assessment revolution which has brought new subjects, new pedagogies and critically an exponential growth in the provision for students with additional and special educational needs.
Looking to the near future we will likely see continued reform and innovation in curriculum and assessment. The re-configuration of primary schools will surely gather pace and should provide greater choice for parents, especially in primary. We hope too that the work done by various Catholic Education Bodies to revise and review vision, mission and structures will herald a new era of confidence in Catholic education with stronger and more aligned and revised supports and services available to a reduced number of Catholic schools.
At different stages in our history and evolution as a nation we have been challenged and our commitment to education has been tested to the limit. We have struggled but we have never balked. Whether it be in times of occupation or times of revolution and the birth of the nation, the many years of poverty before our newfound affluence, or even the more recent challenge of a global pandemic. Through it all, our love of education and our determination that all the children of the nation would be cherished equally has endured.
Today our love affair with education has never been so strong. Our schools, for the remain deeply embedded within their local communities and educational issues are a constant part of public discourse. There is no other country in the world where the choice of poets in an English exam paper or the marking scheme of a maths paper will be discussed in parliament and make the front page of newspapers!
Complex
The system is complex and continues to face up to the opportunities and challenges of the modern world while seeking to hold on to all that is good from our history and heritage. In this podcast we are going to be exploring our Education Nation in conversation with people who currently hold and who have held key leadership positions across all levels of the system. We have deliberately drawn our guests from every different nook and cranny of the system, from among principals and teachers, patrons, leaders of Catholic trusts, from among religious and from universities, from thought leaders and researchers, those who provide training, support and leadership in Catholic education. We will also hear from others who may not share our sense of mission and who can challenge us with different and even opposing views of our Education Nation.
The Podcast will be available January 18 on most podcast streaming services.
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