Democracy Commission report calls for more and better CSPE

While papers zoned in on the juicy stories of gender quotas and media monopolies, the part of the Democracy Commission report which interested me most was to do with civic education. The commission recommends:

? The extension of social and political education to senior cycle.
The Commission favours the introduction of citizenship studies as a full optional subject to Leaving Certificate and supports the provision of citizenship education short courses and transition year units.
? Targeting spending on citizenship education and voter awareness programmes.
? Promoting citizenship issues in primary schools.
? Promoting greater democracy within school structures.
? That democratic citizenship education in Northern Ireland be rooted in the goal to build a shared future and address issues of sectarianism, interculturalism and separateness
? Promoting democratic citizenship education within community education programmes.
? Provision of training and materials to support teachers of democratic citizenship education.

These are aspirations well worth airing. Unfortunately, despite an excellent syllabus, CSPE does not have the resources allocated to it (human resources and time) for it to make the impact it could. (See the report for a good summary of the problems).

What is needed is some poltical will. I had the good luck to attend the CSPE teachers annual conferene a few weeks ago, and Minister Hannifin came along to rally the troops. It was an interesting display. The teachers in attendance were the hardcore of committed cspe'rs who had given up their Saturday to attand the AGM and various workshops to improve their pedagogical methods. The subject association (ACT) is run with the utmost professionalism.

The minister was in high plámasing form, indicating that she would no doubt be rostered for teaching CSPE if she were not on leave. But her committment to the subject rang a bit hollow. No indication of extension to the senior cycle as an option, or of more time. Worst of all was a celebration on her part of the fact that there is no CSPE subject at third level. CSPE in her view was a team exercise, drawing on the life experience of whoever was hanging around the staff room. (Despite the existence of many relevant degrees, and some diplomas). Mary wondered if the little bit of cspe we have would be feeding through soon in higher voter turn-out. Well, if it is three years after ending one's civic education, I wonders how much it will impact on young peoples first outing at the polls.

The minister did make positive noises about school councils. This has been an area of progress, and a great example of learning by doing. I stood in a school election as a thirteen year old, and it was a formative experience indeed. (Some months after my election, the authorities decided they didn't like democracy very much at all, and abolished the entire Representative council).

If she cares about renewing democratic values and practices, the minister will implement the relevant recommendations of the democracy commission report. Another interesting thought sprang to mind as I watched and listened: Ireland's first woman Taoiseach in the making?

posted by Daniel @ Friday, October 28, 2005  

Remembering Fr. Fergal O'Connor

Dominican Father, Fergal O Connor was a fixture of UCD politics department for decades, and a formative influence on many an undergraduate.

(He also founded the organisation ALLY, dedicated to supporting unmarried mothers. That was in another ireland. He also regularly appeared as a critic on the Late Late show, in it's heyday)

O Connor came to prominence during the silent revolution of student activism in the early 70's ( when I was just a kid). In essence, he saw political theory in a socratic tradition. Dialogue was his central motif. Exams, he maintained were utterly ephemeral to the process, as was the points race system for university access. If he had his way, he would say, his lectures would be open to all, and scheduled to allow access to all sectors of society. For those interested in high exam achievement, he proposed that he would give them the exam questions at the outset, and they could leave the lectuer theatre and start working on perfecting that essay. Those interested in philisophical dialogue, he would say, like the characters of the Republic, were welcome to stay.

In second year, he lectured in the first semester as Rousseau, provoking the class into debate, continually wearing the Rousseau persona. What a surprise after chrismas, when he became a crusty Hobbes!

His lectures were often conveniently scheduled for the late afternoon, with no following lecture. This allowed a circle of students to keep the priest debating in a circle, long, long, after the end of the official lecture.

I was not such a dedicated student. And at the time, my antipathy towards wearers of the catholic garb was deep, but O Connor fascinated. Some of his views appeared anti-modern to me from my perspective at the time. (I still have no time for the Alasdair MacIntyre view of ethics, for instance.)
But, long before many of those who were lecturing me on marxism at the time in UCD, Fergal was citing the work of Jurgen Habermas.

Essentially, Fergal was interested in answering the timeless questions of what is a good life, and what makes a society just. With dialogue at the core, his educational method pointed toward some of that answers to those questions.

posted by Daniel @ Monday, October 03, 2005