A Partnership with Africa Case Study

Get Up and Goals (GUaG) is a project running in 12 EU countries under the EC DEAR (Development Education and Awareness Raising) Programme. GUaG’s lead partner is the Italian NGO CISP, with A Partnership with Africa representing Ireland. GUaG aims to bring about structural and policy change to link the UN SDGs to the post-primary education system, through the provision of curriculum-linked Global Citizenship Education (GCE).

At teacher level, GUaG builds capacity through CPD and through classroom resources on the themes of climate change, gender inequalities, international inequalities and global migration. At structural and policy level, GUaG advocates to strengthen connections between GCE and the post-primary curriculum and to create a coherent, integrated approach to GCE in the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and other government departments and agencies. 

GUaG has achieved results at teacher level because the programme has capitalized on the opportunities for GCE/ESD optics and approaches within ‘new’ junior cycle curriculum specifications and by recruiting ‘lead’ teachers in network schools from existing teacher support , such as the DES’s Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) team. The project has acted as a support to participating teachers as practice relating to curriculum reform bedded down, and these teachers in turn have been able to act as multipliers in their own schools and via their involvement in JCT. 


Successful engagement of teachers has led to knock-on impact on students; GUAG builds teacher capacity, with participating teachers implementing SDG/GCE teaching and learning units, then facilitating their students to undertake relevant actions.  An example is a second year CSPE class that took on the topic of Sustainable Agriculture. The students, informed by a workshop with Teasgasc, went on to raise awareness of the SDGs and sustainable farming practices through exhibitions at agricultural shows, 3rd level climate related festivals and events organized by the local authority. As well as gaining curriculum related knowledge and skills, students also gained a recognition of their ability to use the SDGs to encourage people to change. 

 

GUaG has achieved results in the policy arena through their strategic engagement with the DES and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). In 2018, the GUaG Ireland coordinator (working in an independent capacity) was commissioned by the NCCA to carry out a study mapping high-level curriculum frameworks in Ireland to UNESCO’s eight cross-cutting key competences for sustainability.  As well highlighting common ground and identifying current good practices, the study provides a powerful rationale for the inclusion of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and GCE in future curriculum review and development.  This was followed up in 2019, when the GUaG coordinator chaired the DES’ National Forum on ESD. The Forum showcased quality ESD in the Irish school system, reflected on progress of the National Strategy on ESD and discussed future directions for ESD/GCE in Ireland. Through the GUaG coordinator’s participation in high-level research and strategy, GuAG has contributed significantly towards creating an enabling policy environment for GCE. It should be noted that creating change at curriculum level is a long-term and complex process and will continue to unfold beyond the lifespan of the current GUaG programme. 


Images:

  • Oisin Fogarty, Mount Temple Comprehensive School (main page)
  • Sorcha Mellon, Maryfield College (picture 1)

Credit: APA 


Share by: