The Education Committee’s Inquiry into Shared and Integrated Education took a closer look at the Centre for Shared Education, Queen’s University Belfast as it continued evidence sessions on its Inquiry into Shared and Integrated Education. Next before the Committee were Professor Joanne Hughes, Director of the Centre for Shared Education, School of Education, QUB; Professor Tony Gallagher, Pro Vice Chancellor, Queen’s and member of the Centre for Shared Education, QUB; Dr Gavin Duffy, Research Associate, Centre for Shared Education, QUB; and Professor Miles Hewstone, Director, University of Oxford Centre for the Study of Intergroup Conflict. Professor Hughes opened the briefing by providing a little background on the Centre for Shared Education at QUB. She stated that the underpinning vision was for an applied and interdisciplinary centre which is committed to research and the promotion of evidence-based practice in education. The Centre contrasted Shared Education with Integrated Education arguing that the former elevates educational outcomes as opposed to reconciliation objectives, thus enhancing its appeal among divided communities. The Centre described Integrated Education as being an effective mechanism for relationship building but one which has only a limited appeal. The Centre also contrasted Shared Education with short-term, largely ineffective contact initiatives which are not curriculum-based and which do not offer opportunities for sustained contact. It was indicated that although educational objectives are foregrounded in Shared Education Programmes, the Centre provides support for teachers to tackle community relations issues. The Centre contended that Shared Education brings different social or ethnic or religious groups into sustained contact with each other through inter-school collaboration thus lessening anxiety and promoting empathy and resulting in better relations. However they noted that the groups involved must have equal status, be in pursuit of common goals and that the interaction must be characterised by co-operation not competition. The Centre asserted that the common goal of educational improvement for schools involved in Shared Education must be superordinate to the community relations goal. The Centre also indicated that where children attend schools with a relatively high level of mixing of the 2 communities (i.e. over 10%, so-called supermixed schools) - regardless of whether the school has an Integrated ethos or not but provided that there was a supportive climate for inter-community contact – anxiety about the other community is lower and attitudes are more positive. The Centre contended that the barriers to sharing between schools – proximity, travel and timetabling – are overcome by the better Shared Education partnerships. The Centre argued that the lack of a co-ordinated policy or clear definition of Shared Education has created a policy vacuum which allows it to be labelled as light-touch and supportive of the status quo. It was noted that this also affects the depth of meaningful activity; and limits Shared Education’s potential to effect lasting systemic change. The Centre called for legislation which will provide a consensus around the definition of Shared Education. It was also contended that a wide-ranging review of DE policy including Area Planning and the Entitlement Framework was required in order to ensure that they support Shared Education in future and to establish the basis for the development of policy and strategy. https://youtube/watch?v=UzxpnwMf_28
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 10:22:44 +0000
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