A host of national and international speakers shared their expertise at the Mary Immaculate College (MIC) Thurles Summer School in association with the Ombudsman for Children’s Office this week for three days of discussion and dialogue on how children’s voices have changed the landscape of education and participation over the past two decades.
The event’s special focus was Celebrating 20 years of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office and the on-campus event from 11-13 June concentrated on conversations regarding the journey travelled, and yet to be travelled, in supporting diverse voices in our educational system.
The event opened with keynote addresses by General Secretary to the Department of Education, Bernie McNally and Adam Harris, Founder and CEO of AsIAm, Ireland's National Autism Charity. Other keynotes included Child Participation expert, Professor Laura Lundy, and Professor Philip Jaffé, member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Dr Finn Ó Murchú, Head of School at MIC Thurles spoke about the wonderful opportunity the Summer School offered “to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Office of Children’s Ombudsman and the great work being undertaken by Dr Niall Muldoon and his team”.
Dr Ó Murchú added: ‘We at MIC Thurles are conscious of the key role teachers play in shaping young people’s lives and our ongoing collaboration with our colleagues in the OCO and the wider educational community allows us to collaborate, celebrate and contemplate our respective and collective actions.”
Dr Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children said: “We are absolutely delighted to be marking the 20th Anniversary of the OCO with the team at MIC Thurles for their Summer School this year, which is always a fantastic event. To have some of the best minds in children’s rights and education from Ireland and overseas, as well as key policy and decision makers in education in the same room to discuss the future of education, was really stimulating and left us all motivated to work harder for children.
“A lot has improved for children’s education in Ireland in the two decades since our Office was established, but we still have a way to go to achieving a fully inclusive education system that allows every child to reach their full potential. A core part of this is hearing the student voice and ensuring children have their say in a meaningful way, so it is important that young people themselves are also represented in this discussion.”
The Summer School included a discussion with children from local schools in Thurles on their views on student voice. Other guests across the event included Shari Irfan, President of the Irish Second-Level Students Union; Dr Craig Skerritt, University of Manchester; Suzanne Garcia Imbernon, European Network of Ombudsman for Children; Fiacre Ryan, author of Speechless Reflections From My Voiceless World; Ann Piercy, HIV Ireland; and Ahmed Hassan Mohamed, a social activist and Community Sponsorship support worker at Doras in Limerick.
There were also inputs from Clíodhna O’Neill, Department of Education; Dr Patrick Sullivan, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment; Aoife McNamara of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office; Eimear Coffey of the National Council for Special Education; Geraldine McTavish of the GAA; Brenda O’Donnell of Active Disability Ireland; Dr Hannah McGinley on Traveller voice, and Áine Lynch, CEO of the National Parents Council.
The MIC Thurles Summer School was aimed at teachers, researchers, student teachers, parents, support service and policymakers, as well as anyone with an interest in exploring how teaching and learning can be improved. You can find further information on the MIC Thurles Summer School here.
