Education and Training Boards Ireland hosted its Annual Conference ‘Hear My Voice: The Learner in Education & Citizenship’ in Wexford on 25th & 26th September in Wexford
Education & Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) the national representative body for Ireland’s 16 ETBs – the largest providers of education and training in the country – has committed to working with the Electoral Commission to encourage voter participation in the run up to the next general election and beyond, vowing to “leave no learner behind”.
Addressing over 200 delegates at ETBI’s annual conference in Wexford, entitled ‘Hear my Voice: The learner in Education & Citizenship’, Art O’Leary, CEO of An Coimisiún Toghcháin said: “We know that of those citizens who didn’t vote in the recent local elections, 17% said it was because they didn’t know who to vote for, 14% said it was because they weren’t interested in politics, and 10% said their vote didn’t matter. These are the people that as Ireland’s electoral commission we need to win over. With a footprint in every town, city and county across primary, post primary and Further Education & Training, ETBs are critical to the development and delivery of our voter education programme.”
Paddy Lavelle, General Secretary of ETBI agreed: “To encourage our citizens to get excited about democracy, we need to reach all of them, including those whose voices are seldom heard. Education & Training Boards are in every county and can connect with, and empower, everyone including groups who have been hardest to reach. We’ll be delighted to work with the Electoral Commission in the run up to the general election and beyond to ensure all voices are heard.”
In a panel discussion moderated by broadcaster Ivan Yates, ETB Learner and activist Latisha McCrudden added her support: “My ETB equipped me with the skills to engage with democracy and politics. I want to make a difference for underrepresented people in this country and hope to run in the 2029 local elections.”
The conference also appealed to all political parties to tackle inequality in the next programme for government, as their spokespersons gathered for a lively debate.
“We believe that everyone deserves excellence in education and training, which is why we are asking the political representatives here today to prioritise ETBs in their party manifestos and the next programme for government”, says ETBI General Secretary Paddy Lavelle. “We want to see more multi-denominational Community National Schools, an increased deputy principal allocation for disadvantaged schools, and appropriate funding for the essential further education, training and youth services our ETBs provide”. The panel featured education spokespersons from the main political parties and members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education including Sinn Fein TD Sorca Clark, Labour’s Senator Annie Hoey, Fianna Fail’s Senator Malcolm Byrne and Green TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh. They were quizzed on a wide variety of topics including teacher shortages, the need for more multi-denominational primary schools, therapeutic supports for students with special needs, and banning mobile phones in post-primary schools.
Delegates also heard a moving address from former ETB learner and CEO of charity, Empower the Family, Deborah Somorin, charting her journey from homelessness at 13, pregnancy at 14 and motherhood at 15 to becoming a chartered accountant and author. Deborah says: “Growing up in the care system and becoming a teenage mother could have set my life on a difficult path, but education opened doors for me that I never thought possible. It allowed me to take control of my future and go on to become a chartered accountant. My story is proof that when learners are heard and supported, they can overcome challenges and achieve great things.”
The conference, entitled ‘Hear my Voice: The Learner in Education & Citizenship’, also had a strong focus on media literacy, misinformation and disinformation with an expert panel discussion moderated by journalist and author Aoife Barry.
