Barnardos’ Submission on the Development of the Intercultural Education Strategy

Abstract

Barnardos welcomes the opportunity to input into the drafting of the Intercultural Education Strategy. It is essential that such a strategy be rolled out given the ever increasing diversity of backgrounds, cultures and races of the pupil population. At a national level, it is estimated that 10% of the population is of non-Irish nationality and this is likely to rise into the future. Two other factors emphasising the need for an intercultural education strategy is firstly, that the majority of primary and secondary schools are managed or influenced by the ethos of the Catholic Church despite many migrant pupils being of different religious affiliations. Secondly, any intercultural education strategy must take into account the needs of Traveller children to make the educational system more relevant to them and subsequently decrease the current high drop-out rate among Traveller teenagers.