PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (24thJanuary 2011)

Mary Immaculate College is “A hive of development activity,” says Minister Power

Minister Peter Power, T.D. praises the CGDE in his opening address

Minister Peter Power officially launched an important symposium held recently at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, celebrating the culmination of three years of work by the Centre for Global Development through Education (CGDE), based at the College, under the direction of Dr Rosarii Griffin. The CGDE is the lead partner of a consortium of twelve Irish and two African Higher Education Institutes and two African Ministries of Education in Lesotho and Uganda. It is funded through the Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes (2007-2011).

Among those who attended the symposium entitled, “Capacity and Confidence Building in Teacher Education: Perspectives from Lesotho, Uganda and Ireland,” were Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Maria Byrne, His Excellency, Dr Paddy Fay, Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr Azwindini Jeremiah Ndou, South African Ambassador to Ireland, Mrs Margaret Nsereko, Commissioner for Education, MoES, Uganda, Dr John Oliphant, Rector, Lesotho College of Education and Dr Margo O’Sullivan, Head of Education, UNICEF Uganda.

In his opening remarks, Minister Power said, “The CGDE is the most recent string to the bow of Mary Immaculate College, which is what I would describe as ‘a hive of development activity.’ Under the excellent leadership of Dr Peadar Cremin, global development and justice themes are central to the ethos of the College and by extension, inform the good work of many teachers in schools across the country.”
He went on to praise the work of the CGDE, saying, “I am particularly struck by the very practical nature of the research collaborations that form part of this project – focusing on teacher effectiveness, assessment practices, teaching of science and maths and special needs. We know from our experience in Ireland that these are common issues across all education systems… The institutions represented here today are making a valuable contribution to realizing the poverty reduction aims of the Irish Aid programme.”
Referring to his experience of working with the CGDE in his former role as Ambassador in Lesotho up to July 2010, Dr Paddy Fay, currently Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, said, “The projects CGDE operated in Lesotho were based on the needs of the Lesotho College of Education. The research and reports come at a time that is very apt for Lesotho, as the areas concerned are priorities. The projects and teacher exchange have greatly assisted in capacity building in the Lesotho College of Education.”
Other speakers included Dr Aiden Mulkeen and Dr Gerry Jeffers, NUI Maynooth, and a host of faculty from the partner institutions, who presented reports on their ground-breaking research findings across a wide variety of topics.

Prof. Teresa O’Doherty, Dean of Education at Mary Immaculate College, said, “As host institution for the Centre, we at MIC are particularly proud of the achievements of the Centre to date in developing a community of learning for participants and lecturers from Lesotho, Uganda and Ireland. As we head into an uncertain and difficult period, where we will actively seek additional funding to extend and promote the work of the Centre, today’s deliberations take on an additional importance as we reflect on the past and anticipate the challenges ahead.”
For further information on the Centre for Global Development through Education, please see http://www.cgde.ie/

Back Row (L-R): Mr John O’Meara (DFA); Ms Eileen O’Malley (HEA); Mr Koebu Kahalema (LCE); Dr Rosarii Griffin (CGDE Director); Mrs Margaret Nsereko (MoES, Uganda); Dr Margo O’Sullivan (UNICEF); Ms Maire Matthews (DFA) Front Row, (L-R): CGDE PhD Students: Mr John Bwayo (KYU, Uganda); Ms Puleng Mapuru (LCE); Ms Fiona Bailey (MIC); Ms Florence Aguti (MoES, Uganda); Ms Mantoetsi Jobo (LCE); Ms Deirdre O’Rourke (MIC); Ms Sarah Kisa (KYU, Uganda).

Dr Rosarii Griffin, CGDE Director, chatting with Minister Peter Power TD, Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Maria Byrne and Dr Jim Gleeson, Chair of CGDE

Back Row (L-R): Dr John Oliphant (Rector, LCE, Lesotho); Dr Jim Gleeson (UL, Chair CGDE); Louise Long (St Mary’s, Belfast) Front Row (L-R): Dr Rosarii Griffin (MIC, Director CGDE); Dr Paul Conway (UCC); Mota Sekonyela (Deputy Principal Secretary, MoET, Lesotho); Dr Róisín McEvoy (Univ. of Ulster); Prof. Teresa O’Doherty (MIC); Sheila O’Driscoll (UCC); Nkhotho Machachamise (Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Dublin)

For further information contact:
Holly Cowman
President’s Office
Mary Immaculate College
South Circular Road
Limerick
T: +353 61 204998
E: Holly.Cowman@mic.ul.ie
W: www.mic.ul.ie

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (24thJanuary 2011)

Mary Immaculate College is “A hive of development activity,” says Minister Power
Minister Peter Power officially launched an important symposium held [...]

Symposium Showcase 2011
Symposium Showcase 2011

Capacity and Confidence Building in Teacher Education: Perspectives from Lesotho, Uganda and Ireland

Symposium organised by the Centre for Global Development through Education and funded through the Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes (2007 – 2011)

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, TARA Building T1-18
Friday, 21 January 2011, at 9.00am.

CGDE Steering Committee Meeting June 2010
CGDE Steering Committee Meeting June 2010

The Centre for Global Development through Education (CGDE) Steering Committee meets three or four times a year, and is comprised of representatives from all of the partner institutions that are involved in CGDE, including representation from Southern Ireland, Northern Ireland, Lesotho and Uganda. The most recent Steering Committee meeting was held in University College Dublin (UCD) on the morning of Friday the 25th of June.

Development Education Matters Conference 2010 Organised by the DICE (Development and InterCultural Education) Project
Development Education Matters Conference 2010 Organised by the DICE (Development and InterCultural Education) Project

The fourth annual DICE (Development and InterCultural Education) conference took place this year at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick on Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of June. The central objective of the DICE Project, which is funded by Irish Aid, is to support the inclusion of development education and intercultural education perspectives as essential elements of initial teacher education.

Africa Day Limerick
Africa Day Limerick

Africa Day Limerick took place on Sunday the 30th of May in the grounds of Limerick City Hall, from 12 noon to 6 p.m. The event was hosted by Irish Aid, Ireland’s overseas development programme, who work to tackle poverty and hunger in developing countries. Africa Day provided a fun, family oriented day out with interactive cultural and educational activities for children and adults, which celebrated and showcased the diversity of African cultures and societies.

Lesotho Teacher Educator Exchange Programme 5th – 19th April 2010
Lesotho Teacher Educator Exchange Programme 5th – 19th April 2010

The first phase of the Teacher Exchange Programme took place in Lesotho College of Education (LCE) from April 5 to 19, 2010. Four teacher educators from Ireland worked with four colleagues from LCE. This is a general overview of the Lesotho Teacher Educator Exchange Programme in April, written by Stella Long, MIC.

Uganda Teacher Educator Exchange Programme 10th – 25th April 2010
Uganda Teacher Educator Exchange Programme 10th – 25th April 2010

The first part of the Ugandan Teacher Educator Exchange Programme took place from the 10th of April to the 25th April 2010 in Uganda. Carmel Hinchion was one of the Irish teacher educators who took part, and this is an account of her experience.

Minister of Finance Lesotho Talk, Dublin, 7th May 2010
Minister of Finance Lesotho Talk, Dublin, 7th May 2010

The Minister for Finance, Government of Lesotho, Dr Timothy Thahane, gave a talk entitled ‘Managing Economies in Turbulent Times’ on the 7th May in Dublin. The event was hosted by Trinity College Dublin nd the Director of CGDE, Dr Rosarii Griffin, was in attendance. Dr Thahane opened his address with a reflection, ‘if we look at the world, it has become interdependent, bound by technology, trade and finance as well as communications’.

IT work in Lesotho and Uganda, April 2010
IT work in Lesotho and Uganda, April 2010

CGDE commissioned Donie Kelly and Kieran Pearse, both engineers from Mary Immaculate College, to travel to the Lesotho College of Education and Kyambogo University to facilitate in resolving some IT communications issues. The technical visit and needs assessment proved to be very successful, resolving many problems and highlighting other issues which need to be addressed.

Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes 2007 to 2011
Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes 2007 to 2011

The Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes 2007-2011 Second Annual Showcase Event was held on the 19th of April in the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre on O’Connell Street in Dublin. The purpose of the Annual Showcase event was to exhibit progress made by projects funded under the Programme, and for the project leaders to share and discuss lessons learned and best practice.

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