The Irish Traveller Movement has called for the teaching body to be more reflective of the State’s diverse population.
Colleges of education should be resourced and supported to have affirmative action programmes encouraging greater participation of Travellers and other under represented minorities to become teachers, Paula Madden, co-ordinator of the Irish Traveller Movement’s yellow flag programme said today .
She called on the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority to address the deficit among the current teacher population and provide training in anti-racism.
She was speaking as a report was launched about the piloting of the yellow flag programme at the Froebel College of Education in Dublin and yellow flags were awarded to five schools.
The yellow flag initiative is an equality and diversity programme coordinated by the Irish Traveller Movement promoting interculturalism for both primary and secondary schools.
The report found that intercultural teaching practice helped to filter messages of diversity into the education system.
To receive the flag, schools have to take to take eight practical steps including intercultural and anti-racism training for staff, engaging with the community, setting up a diversity committee and an action plan and policy for diversity, and curriculum work.
The schools presented with the flags by Olympic boxing silver medallist John Joe Nevin today were : Ladyswell NS in Mulhiddart Dublin 15, St George’s NS in Balbriggan Dublin, Gaelscoil Riabhach in Loughrea, Co Galway, Gaelscoil an Bhradrain in Mornington, Co Meath and Arklow Community College, Co Wicklow.
Irish Traveller Movement Director Brigid Quilligan said many Traveller children had endured racist bullying for generations in schools.
The yellow flag programme “stems from our absolute conviction that no child should ever have to suffer because they are different,” she said.
