Irish School System
The country of Ireland is separated into two sections, each with different education systems. Although some similarities, the two regions have differing aspects that make the border apparent. Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, has a school system that follows a familiar structure to the United States.
Barbara McDade, professor at Stranmillis University located in Belfast, Ireland, described the way Northern Ireland’s school system functions and explained the differences between the two regions. After spending time teaching in the secondary schools, Name became an expert on the subject. Within Northern Ireland, especially Belfast, the school system is separated based on religious affiliation. Catholicism and Protestantism is the driving force behind the system. A state regulation requires the teaching of religion and theology within the schools. The teaching of religion has created a division and eventually led to the establishment of three different schools: Integrated, Controlled, and Catholic (B. McDade, personal communication, November 9, 2017).
Integrated schools has made an effort to close the gap between the Catholics and Protestants. The Integrated schools begin the two groups together and have found a middle ground between the two. The teachings focus on general religion rather than specific to the denomination. Controlled schools refer to schools that teach Protestant religion, while Catholic schools obviously teach religion based on the Catholic faith. Due to the requirement of the state to teach these topics, there is not a presence of private schools in Northern Ireland. Things such as uniforms and religion is part of the public system. Because these schools are classified as public, they receive funding from the “country” of Northern Ireland. Although the government provides and equal amount of money for each of the three schools, the schools are often sponsored by the corresponding church. With the help of the churches, the schools begin to have a funding difference. Within Northern Ireland, there is a stronger Catholic presence, meaning more funding to the Catholic school systems. Protestant schools receive donations from the Protestant churches, but the Integrated schools face a problem with no direct tie to a church. They integrated schools are trying to closet the gap between Catholics and Protestants that have separated school systems and region as a whole, but the lack of donations for a corresponding church is making this especially difficult.
Although the religious teachings differ in Northern Ireland, the system as a whole remain similar. Starting at ages four or five years old, children begin Primary schooling. After seven years in the Primary School, the students advance to Secondary School. Before beginning the next phase of education, the students partake in something called Academic Selection. This selection process is a test that determines the type of Secondary School the students will enroll in. The Academic Selective School is classified as the “higher-level” school and the Secondary School is the “lower-level” School. Although the academic selection is consistent test through the Integrated, Catholic, and Controlled schools, there are slight advantages and disadvantages depending on social class or religious affiliation. The divide in Northern Ireland is by Catholic and Protestant on the surface, but the deeper division stems from political differnces. Within the selection process, these differences become apparent. If the student comes from a home within the higher politics classes, they often have an opportunity for a tutor. These opportunities allow students to score higher on the selection process. Inversely, students in lower classes are not able to hire a tutor or prepare for the selection test in the same way as other students, putting them at a disadvantage. From a religious perspective, the students from a Catholic background often have a higher emphasis on education. The Catholic faith places a high value on education, often driving the parents to provide their children with a tutor or other educational resources to ensure the placement in the Academic Selective School. Because of this, Protestant students often suffer from lack of opportunities, especially Protestant boys. Following the Academic Selective School or Secondary School, students are either on the track towards college or work.
Current student, Stephen Anderson, explained the school system in the Republic of Ireland. There are some similarities between the two systems, such as teaching religion in school specific to certain denominations and non-denominational schools. At the age of 4-5, students attend a primary school. Students are not required to enroll in a school until at six years old, but the majority of students enroll earlier than that. Within the primary school, the typical curriculum lasts eight years (S. Anderson, personal communication, November 10, 2017).
Once a student is twelve years old, or reaches the sixth year, they continue on to post primary, or secondary schools. In this next phase of schooling, there are three different schooling options. Secondary schools, are owned privately. The Education and Training Boards (ETBs) control the Vocational Schools. Community and comprehensive schools are controlled by varying boards of management. In the post primary school, students complete a three-year curriculum called the Junior Cycle. After these three years are complete, the students take a test called the Junior Certification (cert). The hope of this exam is to prepare an appropriate curriculum for students throughout their years leading up to their scenario certification.
Once a student is 15 years old, they have completed their junior cert. They then begin the Senior Cycle. This stage in the education process lasts for three years. At the age of 18, the students are given the opportunity to choose to continue on to another year of schooling or not, called the transition year. In this year, students focus on life skills and refrains from classic school work. In Anderson’s optional year, he took a trip with his class to a different country and learned how to sail. He also started an internship with the YWCA and has continued to work with the organization after the year.
Once this optional year is finished, the students begin their last two years of schooling. At the end of their two years, students are required to complete an exam and may choose between three options. The options include the standard Leaving Certificate, the Leaving Certificate Applied, or the Leaving Certificate Vocational Program. Once these programs or certifications are complete, students have competed the requirements the Republic of Ireland has set. They may decide whether or not to continue their education in a University (Education_Ire, 2017).
References:
Education_Ire. "Post Primary Education." Department of Education and Skills. Accessed November 14, 2017. https://www.education.ie/en/The-Education-System/Post-Primary/.
Vulliamy, E. (2014, December 14). Across the divide in Northern Ireland. Retrieved December 07, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/14/across-divide-northern-ireland-film