Dr. Anne Taheny:

I thank the Chairman and members for giving me the opportunity to present to the committee. It is wholly appropriate that both institutions are jointly represented as a tangible expression to the committee of our joint efforts at collaboration which we will together outline. Our presentation is organised in the following manner: policy context for collaboration in teacher education between St. Angela's College and the school of education, University of Ulster; strategic cross-Border relationship between St. Angela’s College and the school of education, University of Ulster; memorandum of understanding between the two institutions; and our conclusions.

I will, first, address the policy context for collaboration in teacher education between St. Angela's College and the school of education, University of Ulster. The committee will be fully au fait with the importance of cross-Border co-operation across a range of sectors - economic, trade, tourism, health, employment, regional development and, of course, education. Education is identified in the Good Friday Agreement as a key area for North-South co-operation. This is reflected in the North-South Ministerial Council's agreement to progress educational themes, including special educational needs, educational under-achievement and teacher education. We will address the latter theme, in particular.

The Minister for Education and Skills, supported by his Department, and the Northern Ireland Minister for Education, John O’ Dowd, and the Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr. Stephen Farry, and their officials, are positive in their commitment to strengthen and develop cross-Border initiatives in education. The Minister for Education and Skills in his recent address to the committee, in the context of Northern Ireland’s success in the progress in international reading literacy study, PIRLS, indicated that there was a real opportunity for learning and co-operation in the area of literacy. In his opening address to the recent conference on the professional identity of teacher educators in Dublin Castle the Northern Ireland Minister for Education indicated his commitment to the further development of cross-Border co-operation on educational issues. He highlighted, in particular, the importance of continuing professional development, CPD, for teachers and ongoing development of school leaders.

The current higher education strategy for Northern Ireland entitled, Graduating to Success, encourages higher education providers to collaborate on an all-island basis on teaching and learning. Specifically, it stresses that higher education providers should strive to "facilitate student flows between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; to minimise the obstacles to Cross Border undergraduate mobility and to collaborate on an all-island basis on teaching and learning". Similarly, in this jurisdiction the national strategy for higher education to 2030 states there is "significant potential for institutional collaboration on a North-South basis to advance Cross Border regional development and strategically advance Irish higher education on an all-island basis". Graduating to Success also outlines the intent to support such cross-Border collaboration, particularly where it is "geographically advantageous to do so and where there are benefits for the institutions involved and for students". Furthermore, the recent report of the international review panel on the structure of initial teacher education provision in Ireland stresses the importance of investment in the continuous improvement of the quality of teaching, the role of research in teacher education and international co-operation in all of its teacher education institutions.

The current strategic plan for St. Angela's College aims to establish key partnerships and engage in strategic collaborations with other educational institutions. The plan specifically highlights the importance of establishing partnerships with cross-Border institutions. The school of education, University of Ulster is also committed to the establishment of collaborations and partnerships with other institutions and organisations locally, nationally and internationally as part of its corporate plan. The parties present are succeeding in operationalising a framework for collaborative teaching, learning and research in teacher education on an all-island basis. Both institutions are translating these political objectives into specific operational aims, strategies and plans relevant to their respective teaching and student bodies. We do so for a number of key reasons: to strengthen teaching, learning and research within and between both institutions; to benefit our students and enhance student learning; and to strengthen and build regional and cross-Border development.

I would like to stress the importance to St Angela's College, in particular, of positive regional development. The strategic significance of the location of the college in the north west for the past 60 years, with its established and emerging cross-Border co-operation and potential for undergraduate mobility, places the college in a unique position in this jurisdiction. Furthermore, it is the only indigenous higher education institution providing initial teacher education, ITE, and CPD programmes for teachers in a Border county. Similarly, the school of education, University of Ulster is fully committed to supporting and engaging in cross-Border collaboration in the areas of ITE and CPD.