Intercultural Education -
The School Response

Ann Dinan

Issue 386, vol.97, Summer 2008

The group was later joined by representatives of other interests : of the State’s education and justice ministries; of the Presentation Brothers and Christian Brothers; and of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools.

The group occupied itself with bringing the human and Christian ideal of integration to bear on the nitty-gritty of school life. There is the problem, for instance, of immigrant children arriving at any stage of the school year and needing books and uniforms. Some are illiterate in their own language, or have never had schooling. The Joint Managerial Body’s advisory group has suggested that for each non-national pupil there should be a 2% additional ‘capitation grant’ – to cover books and uniforms, and to subsidize 200 resource-hours of English over a pupil’s school lifetime.

This question of language-support is crucial. Support-teachers should not be engaged on a year-to-year basis, but should be permanent – and eligible for inservice upgrading. There should be no segregation of non-national pupils : they should be fully integrated for regular classroom subjects. And each class-group should have opportunity to discuss and critique any racist discourse current in the broader community. These latter measures presuppose a whole-school approach to intercultural education.

There is need for a translation-service so that the school can always convey confidential information to parents. The legal status of immigrant children and their parents can be precarious, and measures are required to allay insecurity. All non-EU second-level pupils should be allowed finish. Children of parents with a study-visa should not be banned from State schools – much less deported if they are unable to afford private schooling. Garda Immigration Officers could handle situations more delicately – the situation, for instance, of parents whose children are marked for deportation.

The time has come to appoint a National Coordinator of Intercultural Education policy. The special situation of families on the minimum wage, or living in a provision-centre, is pressing. A Coordinator could foster networking between officials of the education, health, welfare and justice ministries. Above all, a National Integration Policy is called for in the interests of joined-up strategy.

Ann Dinan is Director of Education at the Joint Managerial Body for Secondary Schools, Emmett House, Milltown, Dublin 14.