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Minister Flanagan and MoS McHugh launch new strategy for Development Education in Ireland
The Development Education Strategy is the product of extensive consultation with partners from the formal education, youth, adult and community education, civil society and development sectors.
To support the development of the new strategy, Irish Aid invited the Global Education Network Europe (GENE) to conduct a European Peer Review of development education in Ireland. This Peer Review, which took place in 2015, engaged widely with the development education sector and made a number of recommendations which helped with the development of this new strategy.
Launching the new development education strategy, Minister Flanagan said:
“International Development cannot be a niche issue or a marginal interest.”
“We need to support those who support development. We need a strategy that promotes public understanding of the causes of global inequality and an engaged citizenry that wants to do something about it.”
“I believe that educated, informed and engaged citizens are best placed to understand and therefore address complex social, economic and environmental issues linked to development.”
Minister McHugh added:
“…while we can be very satisfied with what we as a country and people have given to development, we cannot take this interest and commitment for granted. This is why I am very pleased about the work being done in the community, in youth groups, in our teacher training colleges and in the classroom to foster the values of active global citizenship.”
Outlining the strategy’s ambition for development education in Ireland over the coming years, Minister McHugh said:
“Oibreoimid le clár oideachais forbartha den chéad scoth a thabhairt go lucht féachana leathan i réimse ilghnéitheach d’ionaid, ó seomraí ranga go campais ollscoile, ó clubanna óige go grúpaí phobail”.
“We will work to bring quality development education to a wide audience in a diverse range of settings, from classrooms to university campuses, from youth clubs to community groups. I look forward to working closely with IDEA, Dóchas, other government departments and our development education partners, to create a stronger environment for development education.”