Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Ireland Fellows Programme, which is managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, enables promising individuals from partner countries to travel to Ireland to study for a Master’s level qualification at a University or Institute of Technology. Its aims are to nurture future leaders, develop in-country capacity to achieve national SDG goals and to build positive relationships with Ireland.

The programme has operated since 1974, bringing students to Ireland from African partner countries and, since 2009, also from Vietnam. Following a decision to expand the programme in 2019-20 it was enlarged to include students from the occupied Palestinian territory and, in 2020-2021, from Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This was in implementation of one of a number of commitments in the Government’s Strategy for partnership with SIDS. A new strand for Latin America was launched in 2022 for the 2023-24 intake, fulfilling a commitment in the Government’s 2022 Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean. As a result, the number of Fellowships awarded has increased from 84 in 2018 to at least 210 for the 2023-24 academic year.

Eligible Master’s level programmes are in a wide range of disciplines, including vocational and STEM programmes in fields such as science and technology, engineering, information systems and computer science, medicine and biotechnology. In the months leading up to each new application round, Higher Education Institutions in Ireland are invited to submit details of courses for inclusion in the programme directory, which is then made available to potential applicants.

Successful candidates begin their programmes in August or September. Depending on the course selected, their studies can run for between 10 and 16 months.

The 2024-25 Ireland Fellows application round will open on 3 July 2023.

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland’s Policy for International Development, A Better World, commits to scaling up support for education, as one of the keys to progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Government recognises that teachers are central to ensuring quality education. Access to qualified teachers is the most important school-based determinant of learning. Ireland works to strengthen education systems in developing countries so that states can provide free and inclusive quality basic education to all children. Continuing professional development of the teaching profession is essential to increasing the number of teachers globally.

Through our support for the Global Partnership for Education, Ireland supports the training of teachers. A total of 675,522 teachers were trained through the Global Partnership for Education in 2022, half of these in fragile or conflict-affected contexts. Our partnership also works to ensure that the importance of teachers is recognised in national education systems, and to increase the proportion of teachers with national qualification standards.

Through our support for the organisation Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies, Ireland helps to ensure that teachers in crisis situations are equipped with the skills they need in emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction and risk management. Teachers also receive training in mental health and psychosocial support for themselves and their students.

In addition the Africa Code Week Women’s Empowerment Programme provides female teachers and administrators with professional development workshops on digital skills and technology to ensure they and their students have the necessary skills for the digital transition.

A long-running public-private partnership through our Embassy in Uganda aims to increase the levels of motivation and recognition while supporting teachers’ continuous professional development. In partnership with Mary Immaculate College, an annual study trip to Ireland is organised for outstanding Ugandan teachers.

Our partnerships also help us to ensure that our support to teacher training and education will reach those furthest behind, a guiding principle of our international development policy. In Sierra Leone, for instance, Ireland supports partners, including Teach for Sierra Leone, to improve the quality of teaching and learning with a focus on remote and marginalised areas.