Minister Josepha Madigan praises school staff on International Women’s Day

Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan TD has marked International Women’s Day by praising school staff in address to the Muslim Sisters of Éire.

Minister Madigan spoke to the organisation on the theme of “Silent Female Heroes of the Pandemic – Our Unseen Heroes”. In her remarks Minister Madigan praised school staff for their tireless commitment to students during the pandemic.

In her remarks, Minister Madigan said,

“I would like to pay tribute to all of our school staff, a majority of whom are women, though of course men are also represented, for going above and beyond to support their students, during long periods of school closures. This was of particular importance to students with additional needs or those facing disadvantage. Society owes you a debt of gratitude.”

Minister Madigan also outlined some of the reforms ongoing to ensure the full participation and inclusion of women in all school subjects. These include reform of the Relationship and Sexuality curriculum, updating the national anti-bullying action plan, and increasing by 40% the number of women taking STEM subjects in post-primary schools.

Minister Madigan added,

“Our schools are where we nurture the future of society. As we work to introduce progressive reforms in our education system, we remain indebted to the school staff for their commitment. It is Government that provides resources but it is the school staff that put them into action.

“Some of the reforms we are looking at currently include many that will benefit women in particular. We are reforming our Relationship and Sexuality curriculum to ensure that important and necessary information is provided to all students in all schools. We are working to increase by 40% the number of women taking STEM subjects in post-primary schools. We recently announced moves to update our national anti-bullying strategy to ensure it is up-to-date and covers areas that might not have been covered previously, including cyber bullying and sexual harassment.

“These moves will help to ensure greater gender parity in the classroom, and as a result later in life also. It is about keeping inclusion at the heart of education.”

ENDS