Education – Page 2 – Slugger O'Toole

Futureproofing our schools…

David Bell on May 16, 2022, 12:15 pm

| Readers 1638

person holding red and white pen

While the constitutional question appears to have been consigned to the back burner for now, it’s an issue that cannot be avoided indefinitely. A recent Slugger article reflected on the question of pension provision following some future unification of north and south. The integration of State benefits and of services such as housing and health would undoubtedly be challenging, however, unifying the island’s education systems may prove the most difficult task of all. It is worth noting the religious composition …

Citizenship – have we failed to prepare young people to exercise their vote on May 5th, and does this suit politicians just fine?

Ulster University on May 2, 2022, 8:00 am

| Readers 1627

Polling Station sign in the UK

As we approach an election in Northern Ireland, the signs are that more young people than ever are registered on the electoral roll. The Chief Electoral Officer further encouraged participation in the election by writing to schools asking for their help in encouraging those aged 18 and over to exercise their right to vote. In the UK, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1970 but, back in 2015, the BBC ran a story entitled “Much of …

Branagh’s Belfast and our divided education system…

Ulster University on April 6, 2022, 11:41 am

| Readers 3548

Belfast, the film, has just landed Kenneth Branagh an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It is a cracking film, if you have not yet seen it, and it is recommended. But, not to dissuade anyone from going to view it, the film does take a few historical liberties. Those of us who lived in Belfast at the time when the film is set might raise an eyebrow or two at the sight of vigilantes with burning torches held aloft as …

High Schools: Casualty of a new Northern Ireland?

Angeline King on March 23, 2022, 6:06 pm

| Readers 4225

school, study, education

My son attends the local high school. This seemed like a logical choice when he was in P.7. The school is on our street. Petrol is a finite resource. If you’ve been out of the education loop for a number of years, rest assured that we have a good education system here in Northern Ireland. The number of choices, however, is mind-boggling for parents, stress-inducing for children and not great for the planet. I grew up in a ‘mixed’ working …

DUP to use petition of concern to block the integrated education bill…

Brian O'Neill on March 8, 2022, 2:42 pm

| Readers 3658

chalk, colorful, dust

From the BBC: The DUP currently has 25 MLAs who hold the party whip, while Jim Wells, independent Alex Easton and TUV leader Jim Allister are also in favour of the petition. That means at least two UUP MLAs would need to sign it. Ms Armstrong’s bill would increase the number of integrated school places and set targets for the number of children being educated in such schools. About 7% of pupils in Northern Ireland are educated currently in just …

Who’s afraid of the Integrated Education Bill… and why?

Ulster University on March 4, 2022, 8:00 am

| Readers 3392

teacher, learning, school

Polls consistently show that around 70% of parents want to send their children to a mixed school. There are many familiar celebrity advocates for cross-community schooling – Liam Neeson, Paddy Kielty, Adrian Dunbar and Carl Frampton have all been vociferous in their support for Integrated education. This throng has recently been swollen by controversial contributions from President Michael D Higgins and the NI Secretary of State Brandon Lewis. In the face of considerable hullabaloo in the media, the established, segregated …

Why we need to invest in insulation and renewable energy projects…

Brian O'Neill on February 25, 2022, 10:01 am

| Readers 2938

solar panels, placement, green energy

I was chatting with the principal of my son’s primary school this morning. He was telling me that the school’s gas bill has gone from £3000 to £10,000 a month. This is in line with the Department of Education forecasting an increase of 13 million for school energy costs in Northern Ireland. As we were chatting I was looking up at the huge roof of the school and thinking you could get a whole pile of solar panels up there. …

Want to change hearts and minds? Debate is the answer

Dean Bonner on February 14, 2022, 7:30 am

| Readers 2868

public speaking, speaker, man

I spent (wasted?) a minute watching GB News the other day. The topic was, of course, the cause célèbre of the right-wing media: freedom of speech. While I think a lot of the right-wing rhetoric about “cancel culture” is hyperbolic, there does seem to be a tendency among certain groups to avoid open debate and stifle dissenting voices. However, it doesn’t do anything to help their cause. Three examples are illuminating. I proudly support transgender rights and I reject the …

Two education systems divided by a common century…

Ulster University on January 11, 2022, 4:57 pm

| Readers 3996

notebook, hand, pen

The unification of Ireland, or is it the reunification, seems to be all over the media at the moment. While seemingly irreconcilable differences on what to call the day after Christmas Day seem to be intractable, in some quarters a United Ireland seems to be viewed as inevitable and impending. However, a recent poll in the south suggested that, while the people there wanted it, they were not happy about changing anything to accommodate their northern neighbours, even relatively simple …

Time for Queen’s to enable a fuller journey for its dedicated Irish speaking students…

Réamonn Ó Ciaráin on November 30, 2021, 2:00 pm

| Readers 2682

door, toilet door, peace and quiet

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine literally means we live in each other’s shadow. In our shared Gaelic psyche this is how it is meant to be – offering each other fellowship, shelter and protection. We must ensure though that enough light is allowed through for the other to thrive for ar scáth a chéile, in each other’s shadow, to make sense. Queen’s University Belfast has an excellent reputation as a centre of learning for the Irish language …

The fourth ‘R’ – the role of religion in the segregation of schools…

Ulster University on November 16, 2021, 11:16 am

| Readers 4852

teacher, learning, school

Standing shoulder to shoulder at a recent ecumenical event to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland, men of the cloth from the Catholic Church and three Protestant denominations declared that: “the churches could have done more to deepen our understanding of each other and to bring healing and peace to our divided and wounded communities.” Few of those who live on this troubled and contested island would argue with that brave and bold confession, but, in this age of the …

Local solution to a global problem: community wealth building and climate action – Free live event at Queen’s…

Queen’s Policy Engagement on October 26, 2021, 8:48 am

| Readers 410

team spirit, teamwork, community

What are the opportunities for local government and communities to address the climate crisis, deliver effective climate action in ways that secure jobs, reduce inequality and shift our economies beyond ‘business as usual’? One answer is community wealth building, a new model for local economic development that creates a more democratic and just economy, and also delivers substantive returns on achieving decarbonisation targets and climate adaptation. Evidence from Preston and North Ayrshire in the UK shows that community wealth building …

Dublin looking for partners as #SharedIsland Fund doubles and all island investment rises to €3.5billion…

Mick Fealty on October 5, 2021, 11:01 am

| Readers 1619

shaking hands, handshake, teamwork

“The past holds us captive. Even when we succeed in giving up slights, grudges, feuds and pride, we cannot easily give up knowledge, memories and experience.” – David Amerland At the weekend, Colm Tóibín wrote scathingly of some southern politicians that “their talk of a united Ireland ‘in my lifetime’ is mystical blather; another example of politicians saying something they don’t mean”. Ouch. Yet, there are some political leaders in the ‘anglosphere’ who seem to be trying to reconnect to …

Notes from the outer regions…

Ciaran Ward on September 28, 2021, 8:00 am

| Readers 5621

Having lived in London for over 20 years now I’m always careful not to bring back too much of the local currency when I return from trips home. I’m referring of course to the regional banknotes produced by Danske Bank, Ulster Bank, First Trust and Bank of Ireland. It’s a well-worn rant that most retailers and service providers in GB won’t accept such notes despite the fact that they are sterling and should (in theory) be legal currency (albeit not …

Bike to School Week is a sick joke…

Brian O'Neill on September 27, 2021, 12:53 pm

| Readers 2459

bicycle, character, bike path

Today is the start of bike to school week. Or a more realistic name for it would be watch your child die under the wheels of a car week. I am a cyclist but the last thing I would ever do is bring my child out on the roads of Belfast. The cycle lane infrastructure in Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland is absolutely pathetic. In Belfast there are only 2 miles of protected cycle lanes in the whole city. The …

Mini-Public Deliberation on Constitutional Futures – Launch Event…

Queen’s Policy Engagement on September 16, 2021, 4:58 pm

| Readers 989

On the 23rd of September 2021, the Institute for British-Irish Studies (IBIS) at UCD in collaboration with the Democracy Unit at Queen’s will host a launch event at which researchers will share findings of the Mini-Public Deliberative Forum on Constitutional Futures organised in the Republic of Ireland by the Constitutional Futures after Brexit Project. In 2019, IBIS established the Constitutional Futures after Brexit as a three-year project to conduct research on the implications of the UK’s decision to withdraw from …

Why do unionism and nationalism unite against integrated education?

Jay Burbank on September 2, 2021, 7:00 am

| Readers 2682

artistic, bright, color

In a recent poll, integrated education was supported by 71% of respondents. It continues to be a popular policy issue; yet, parties have split hairs over the issue for decades. The reality is that because of a lack of will to create one state sector, there is a growing but separated integrated sector. In their own words I will quote MLAs from a debate in an assembly on 6th July 2021. Kellie Armstrong MLA tabled a private members bill to …

Hain accuses Johnson, Cameron, May of NI ‘neglect’ – and Foster for ‘lapdog’ tendency

Paul Gosling on August 13, 2021, 6:00 am

| Readers 4258

Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron must accept part of the responsibility for the continuing “gridlock” of politics in Northern Ireland, through their failure to engage in the political process here, argues former Labour secretary of state Peter Hain. He also allocates blame to Conservative secretaries of state, with the exception of Julian Smith. Hain says that prime ministers must recognise that their role includes strong engagement with the Northern Ireland parties, in order to keep political progress on track. “You …

51% of A-level entries were awarded A* or A grades…

Brian O'Neill on August 10, 2021, 5:30 pm

| Readers 2808

exam, teacher, board

It is that time of year when the news is full of those cheesy pictures of attractive A-Level students jumping in the air. While you don’t want to rain on their parade you do wonder what is going on if 51% of them got As. Grade inflation just pushes up the entry requirements for universities. When I went to Queen’s I sailed in with a bunch of Bs, now most courses are looking As. Law wants 3 As. You used …

Political legacy of distrust cannot be wished away, says Donaldson

Paul Gosling on August 6, 2021, 9:00 am

| Readers 4189

The distrust between Northern Ireland’s political parties remains a legacy of the conflict and cannot be wished away or ignored, says DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. He adds that the events of the Bobby Storey funeral and commemorations of dead members of the Provisional IRA mean that the Troubles remain a continuing source of tension between the largest parties. He was speaking in the latest Holywell Trust Forward Together podcast. Jeffrey argues that not only are the British government’s legacy proposals …