Education Authority take part in Shared Education workshops

They were members of a group of experts led by QUB’s Centre for Shared Education. 

Seamus and Paul worked as part of a team for three days with teachers from Albanian and Serb schools in the Kamenica Municipality to explore how Shared Education approaches might be used to further enhance community relations and peace building in the area.

A highlight of the visit was a private dinner with The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, the ambassador of the United Kingdom in Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves and the Mayor of the Municipality of Kamenica, Kadri Rahimaj.  During the meal the group discussed the impact of Shared Education in Northern Ireland schools and the opportunities it has created.

The origin of Shared Education starts from Northern Ireland where for several decades different educational models have been tried that have aimed to promote reconciliation, promote mutual understanding and increase social cohesion. As an initiative already integrated into the Northern Ireland education system, shared education provides opportunities for children and young people, who would otherwise not have the opportunity to interact, to socialize with peers from different groups through regular contact and purposeful curriculum-based.

This model also enables children, young people and teachers/educators to form long-term relationships and friendships which often cross traditional boundaries and to build strong, supportive and interdependent links between participating schools, their families and their communities they serve.

In February of this year, as part of a visit to Northern Ireland, the prime minister visited the Nettlefield school in Belfast, to see closely and in practice the implementation of the Shared Education model. Through this model, which is applied in around 900 schools in Northern Ireland, students from different communities have the opportunity to learn and interact together in different activities that include sport, art and science. The seminars that are being held in Kamenica are the fruit of this visit.

Pictured: Assistant Director for Education Seamus Bradley and Head of Shared Education and Sectoral Support, Paul Close along with a group of experts from NI, led by QUB’s Centre for Shared Education in Kosovo.