Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am seeking departmental support on this issue of recognition and acknowledgement for teachers who graduated prior to 1974, most of whom have now retired. These individuals played an invaluable role in shaping the minds of countless students and dedicated their lives to imparting knowledge and wisdom.

I was recently approached by a wonderful Louth woman, Angela Rankin. A retired teacher, she spoke to me about her life dedicated to education and the pupils she taught along the way. She highlighted two connected issues to me. First, those who graduated from teacher training colleges prior to 1974 should be awarded an honorary degree, as is being done in many UK universities. Many Irish teachers who studied in the UK have been an honorary degrees as recently as this summer. Second, I wish to highlight the strike in which her class in Carysfort College of the years from 1971 to 1973 bravely and boldly took part, as a result of which they were denied a graduation day. The year 1974 marked significant change in the landscape of teacher training, with teacher training programmes becoming bachelor degree qualifications.

Teachers make a lasting impact on our lives. These exceptional individuals embody a love for learning and dedication to their students. They instilled in us a thirst for knowledge, challenged us to think critically and prepared us for the challenges we would face in the wider world. These teachers deserve recognition for their outstanding achievements. They deserve to be honoured for their commitment to educating generations of this nation. One way that can be done is by acknowledging their academic achievements through awarding honorary degrees to these exceptional educators. An honorary degree is a prestigious accolade reserved for individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their fields. Awarding honorary degrees to these teachers would acknowledge their exemplary academic achievements and lifelong dedication to teaching and would follow suit with UK universities, which have already taken that step.

The second issue I wish to highlight is that in November 1973 approximately 600 women students in Carysfort College decided to strike in protest at the way in which the curriculum was taught and the college governed. The protest soon evolved into calls for the college authorities to give official recognition to the students' union as the premier body representing student interests and to recognise its constitution. The protest was successful. It was not a silly strike. It was not without potentially serious consequences for the students. Before the strike, many young women were sent home with very little excuse or reason and denied the opportunity to become a teacher. It could be described as a regime. The young women in Carysfort College had to live under incredibly strict rules. The rules included that they must not "adopt immodest poses, talk loudly or laugh boisterously in public, utter coarse or irreverent exclamations, drink alcohol at dances or entertainments, attend improper cinema shows, plays or all night dances or partake in immodest or suggestive dances or sea-bathing". I remind the House that this was the 1970s - the time of The Beatles - and not the 1920s. They had no autonomy. They ate what they were told to eat when they were told to eat it. They had strict curfews and no hot water. They had no right to have their views heard or changes made socially or academically. One person said that even a four-year-old nowadays would rebel against that regime. These women exhibited a determination that can only be admired. It was a pushback against the chains Irish society put on young girls and women. They said enough is enough and they rallied and rebelled but never neglected their studies. They left Carysfort and other teacher training institutes and went on to educate a generation of people. Women like Angela Rankin empowered and facilitated my generation and that of the Minister of State to continue to push for societal change. I refer to the change there has been in recent decades. Education has been this country's liberation. Our educators are responsible for that and should be acknowledged.