The Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD, welcomed today’s launch of the “Ireland 2016: Centenary Programme”. In particular, she welcomed the education elements of this historically important national series of events.
Minister O’Sullivan was speaking after the official launch of “Ireland 2016: Centenary Programme” by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, the Tánaiste Joan Burton TD, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, and the Minister of State for New Communities, Culture and Equality, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD, at Collins Barracks, in Dublin.
There are seven elements to the Programme, with education sector activities coming mainly under the “Youth and Imagination” strand.
The key education-related activities are:
- Proclamation for a New Generation: All primary and post-primary schools will be invited to write a new Proclamation for 2016, to reflect the values, hopes and aspirations of the generation of 2016.
- 1916 Ancestry Project: This will invite all primary and post-primary pupils to engage in tracing a family tree back to 1916.
- Proclamation Day 2016: This day of commemoration will take place in all educational institutions on 15 March 2016. It will encompass pre-schools, primary and post-primary schools, and further and higher education institutions.
- A 1916 digital resource for schools:This resource will comprise lesson plans based on cultural artefacts relevant to 1916, from the State’s major cultural institutions.
- All-island 2016 competitions in history, drama*, music and art: These competitions, open to primary and post-primary students, will involve partnerships with the National Gallery of Ireland, the Abbey Theatre, the National Concert Hall, and RTÉ (*The drama competition is available to Primary schools only).
- Ireland 2016 National Flag resource- This digital resource will provide information on the national flag, including its historical evolution, as well as covering other symbols of the State and of Irish national identity. It will be active for the start of the next school year, in September.
- Politics and Society: A new optional Leaving Certificate subject will be trialled in a number of schools in 2016 as a legacy of the commemorations.
- 1916 academic conference: The definitive academic conference on 1916 will take place in 2016 and be organised on an all-island, and inter-institutional basis.
Marking the launch, Minister O’Sullivan said: “The Proclamation declared that the Irish Republic would “cherish all the children of the nation equally.” So it’s only fitting that in 2016 our children will be centrally involved in commemorating the Rising.
“The wide-range of bilingual education activities planned for “Ireland 2016”, and the fact that many are on an all-island basis, will ensure that all learners will have the opportunity to commemorate the past, celebrate the present, and imagine the future.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
Department of Education and Skills programme
The Department of Education and Skills (DES) is coordinating the education sector input into ‘Ireland 2016’. In additional to the activities noted above, the other education sector elements are:
‘Ireland 2016’ - summer and local courses for primary and post-primary teachers.
All-island schools’ history competition-this will be organised for the third year in 2015/2016, with a specific focus on encouraging projects that focus on the events of 1916.
Ireland 2016 all-island schools’ drama competition*- Schools will be invited to write a short drama based on any aspect of the events of 1916, with the winners performing on the stage of the Abbey Theatre in March 2016. (*The drama competition is available to Primary schools only).
An Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) portal: This will allow teachers to exchange ideas, engage in debate, and share resources in the area of ESD, such as active citizenship, human rights, equality and sustainability. This will ensure that the ‘Youth and Imagination’ programme will provide a lasting legacy.
Ireland 2016 all-island art competition-pre-schools and schools will draw or paint a picture based on imagining Ireland in 2116. 38 winners will be displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland in September 2016.
Ireland 2016 film award- primary schools can submit a short film based on any aspect of 1916, and prizes will be awarded to two winning entries in November 2015, as part of the Film in School awards (FÍS) awards for primary schools.
‘Me, Mollser’ tour for primary schools-The DES will support the Abbey Theatre to perform ‘Me, Mollser’ for 5th and 6th classes in primary schools. This is a drama based on a character from Seán Ó’Casey’s ‘Plough and the Stars’. Lesson plans will accompany the performance to stimulate discussion of the issues raised through the play.
Ireland 2016 History Lesson Plans- The DES is supporting the Royal Irish Academy to develop second-level history lesson plans based on the ‘Ireland in 100 objects’ series. The plans will be published in 2015 and complement primary-level lesson plans.
Ireland 2016 award for achievement in Junior Certificate History- There will be seven prizes, one for each of the 1916 signatories, awarded on a geographical basis.
Ireland 2016 Transition Year module- The Department will support the National Military Archives and NUI Maynooth to develop a Transition Year Unit and resource, based on primary source material held in the Military Archives and in NUI Maynooth.
‘Politics and Society’- ‘Politics and Society’ will be introduced as a Leaving Certificate subject, to ensure that 2016 promotes a legacy of encouraging an interest in politics and active citizenship among young people. It will be trialled in approximately 25 schools from September 2016, before being rolled out nationally.
Irish Research Council Ireland 2016 grants-A number of IRC grants will be awarded for flagship projects related to 1916.
Third level institutions- Each higher education institution is organising their own events and projects to commemorate 1916, with the full list currently being finalised.
*All material provided to schools will be bilingual.