An Analysis on the Effects of Interculturalism, Segregation and

Inclusion in Schools with Particular Reference to DEIS schools

Ciaran Porter – G00311367

Submitted for the Award of

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Education

(Design, Graphics and Construction)

to
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Letterfrack

Research Supervisor: Anthony Clare

Reader 1: Dr. Pauline Logue Collins & Dr. Susan Rogers

Programme: B.Sc. (Hons) in Education (Design, Graphics and Construction)

Module Title: Dissertation

Date Submitted: 23th March, 2018

PLAGIARISM DISCLAIMER
STUDENT NAME: CIARAN PORTER
STUDENT NUMBER: G00311367

PROGRAMME: B.SC. IN EDUCATION (DESIGN GRAPHICS AND

CONSTRUCTION)

YEAR: 4TH

MODULE: DISSERTATION

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DUE DATE: 24TH OF NOVEMBER 2017

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Abstract
Interculturalism has become a major factor in both the education system and society here in

Ireland. However, complications remain in relation to Ireland’s intercultural society, including

segregation and discrimination in both the school environment and social housing. The

population of Ireland is increasing and diversifying due to the immigration of non-Irish

Nationals, along with various other minority groups. Parallel to this, DEIS schools have been

established to address the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged

communities. However, it is my assertion that this has resulted in the further segregation of

non-Irish nationals due to various barriers such as the Baptism Barrier in catholic run schools.

Through progression of the Irish education system, the evidence supporting intercultural

education suggests it will result in a more versatile group of students as they all benefit, learn

and develop by supporting and helping each other. This not only benefits the students, but also

promotes a sense of inclusion and integration within the surrounding communities, thus helping

to tackle issues of discrimination and racism in a peaceful and productive manner. The research

for this dissertation is secondary and is comprised of online resources and books accessed in

the GMIT library.

Key Words
Interculturalism, DEIS, Segregation, School Choice, Inclusion

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Introduction

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the effects interculturalism has in schools and

society with particular focus on DEIS schools (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools).

While highlighting some interesting and relevant topics in relation to interculturalism in

education and society, I also plan to analyse the differences between multiculturalism and

interculturalism while depicting the positives and negatives in each case. However with any

multi-national community, problems may arise, so for the purpose of this dissertation I aim to

analyse the effects interculturalism has on students and society through segregation and the

complications that follow. Segregation is defined by the European Commission against Racism

and Intolerance (ECRI) as “the act by which a (natural or legal) person separates other persons

on the basis of one of the enumerated grounds without an objective and reasonable justification,

in conformity with the proposed definition of discrimination”. (ECRI, 2002).

The purpose of this dissertation is to also address and highlight the importance of inclusion in

schools, especially when dealing with various ethnic minority groups and non-Irish Nationals

in a fully intercultural classroom. I plan to outline a number of inclusion techniques that can be

used to benefit teachers in the classroom when promoting inclusion so all students feel a sense

of belonging, thus encouraging a safe and friendly environment for learning. Chris Kyriacou

states that “Inclusion refers to the way in which teaching and learning in a school is organised

in a way that enables the school to cater for pupils with a broad range of ability and needs”.

(Kyriacou, 2007, p. 49). This dissertation also aims to show that there is a direct link between

inclusion and students reaching their full learning potential.

Finally I plan to produce a clear and comprehensive conclusion based on the secondary research

I carry out.

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Multiculturalism

The Oxford English Dictionary defines multiculturalism as “the presence of, or support for the

presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society”. (Oxford Dictionaries ,

2017). Multiculturalism is usually the result of immigration and can apply to small

communities or to larger populations. For the purpose of this dissertation, the main focus will

be on education, examining the positives and negatives of intercultural education; while also

comparing and contrasting it to multicultural education. The NCCA define intercultural

education as, “It celebrates and recognises the normality of diversity in all areas of human life

and sensitises the learner to the idea that humans have naturally developed a range of different

ways of life, customs and worldviews, and that this breadth of human life enriches all of us”.

(NCCA, 2008).

Multicultural education consists of the cultures of several different races and “incorporates the

idea that all students, irrespective of their social class, race, ethnicity, religion or gender

characteristics, should have an equal opportunity and freedom to learn.” (Arslan, 2013).

Multiculturalism symbolises ways in which we differ from each other, some more evident than

others; “However, it does not make sense to focus on a visible site of differences. The key point

is to understand and accept differences in students, be they visible or invisible.” (Arslan, 2013).

In its most basic form, multicultural education is the coming together of many different cultures

and learning in a neutral environment. Each student will live by his/her own culture while

simultaneously respecting every other student’s cultural background.

Germany is an example of a country that has developed a multicultural society, however it may

not be working in the way that they would have hoped. This may be due to any number of

reasons over the last number of years, including the refugee crisis that has recently occurred.

In an article in The Guardian, we get a clear insight from German Chancellor Angela Merkel

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about the situation in Germany including – “Merkel said too little had been required of

immigrants in the past and repeated her argument that they should learn German in order to

cope in school and take advantage of opportunities in the labour market”. (Weaver, 2010). With

an increase in the immigrant population and the knock on effects for housing, employment,

nourishment, etc. – extra pressure has been put on both the government and the population to

ensure everything is running smoothly for all involved. However it was due to this large number

of immigrants attempting to get into Germany that Angela Merkel has come out to say that this

multicultural system they have set in place is not working. “Speaking to a meeting of young

members of her Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel said the idea of people from

different cultural backgrounds living happily ‘side by side’ did not work.” (Weaver, 2010).

What this means for any immigrants attempting to live in Germany, is that they will have to

make more effort to integrate into the actual German society; rather than simply living in the

country and observing their own customs. “Newcomers, Merkel stressed, should assimilate to

German values and culture, and respect the country's laws.” (Noack, 2015).

Interculturalism

Dermot Quish suggests that “The problem with pure multiculturalism is that it can entrench

social and cultural fragmentation, which may threaten social cohesion”. (Quish, 2008). Perhaps

an intercultural system can work in a much more effective and inclusive way – ensuring all

involved have an equal chance at life, regardless of cultural background.

Interculturalism is defined as “a government policy regarding the relationship between a

cultural majority and cultural minorities, which emphasises integration by exchange and

interaction.” (Taylor, 2008). It is also described in a report by Louise Lesovitch as “an approach

that sees difference as something positive that can enrich a society and recognises racism as an

issue that needs to be tackled in order to create a more inclusive society” (Lesovitch, 2005).

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Ireland is a prime example of a nation that has adopted this intercultural society where many

different people from many different nationalities come together to live in one single

community in which all persons benefit and learn from each other. An excellent example of

this is Youth Work Ireland. This is a community based service that supports young people

around Ireland, meaning they can avail of a range of services and supports when necessary.

“We have an established network of over 150 projects and services and over 300 youth clubs

across Ireland. On a weekly basis we actively engage with and support over 116, 0600 young

people, their families and the local communities”. (Youth Work Ireland, 2017). Due to the fact

that some young people do not have a place to go or to talk about their issues, as a result the

Youth Work Ireland was founded to “offer young people from all backgrounds a place to go, a

listening ear and support if it's needed. The services are run by local people and the programmes

are run based on the needs of the local community. Positive relationships between young people

and adults ensure that young people thrive and are on the road to reaching their potential as

well rounded adults”. (Youth Work Ireland, 2017).

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have outlined that ‘Intercultural

Education’ has two main focal points – firstly it “celebrates and recognises the normality of

diversity in all areas of human life and sensitises the learner to the idea that humans have

naturally developed a range of different ways of life, customs and worldviews, and that this

breadth of human life enriches all of us.” (NCCA, 2008). It also encourages fairness and equal

human rights while challenging any form of mistreatment or discrimination. The research

shows that intercultural education can have a huge impact on the development of the

community surrounding it. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation published an article

including information on this, stating that “Pupils in schools with little awareness of

intercultural education were more likely to lack the skills and knowledge necessary to deal with

intercultural issues”. They then followed up saying, “schools with no ethnic minority children

4
did not see the need to engage with intercultural education, whereas schools that did experience

ethnic minority children did see the need”. (Carr, 2004, p. 18). This suggests that students not

exposed to intercultural education in school are at a disadvantage compared to those students

who are regularly in dealing with interculuralism. Based on this, schools have a pivotal role in

the continuing development of our intercultural society here in Ireland. Although the education

system cannot take complete accountability when it comes to intercultural competence; it does

have a large influence on children’s attitudes towards different cultures and overall values when

it comes to integrating with Non-Irish nationals. The population in Ireland is becoming

increasingly diverse and is constantly increasing in this direction; as indicated by the Census

findings below.

Fig 1. Census of Population: Migration and Diversity (Central Statistics Office, 2017).

5
Based on these findings, it is clear that there is a culturally diverse population living in Ireland.

Although it is shown that the population of non-Irish nationals has decreased by 1.6% since

2011, there is now a significant rise in the number of mixed Irish and non-Irish households

which has risen to 14.7% since 2011. Adding to this, the number of people now holding a dual

Irish nationality has risen an incredible 87.4% since 2011. (Central Statistics Office, 2017).

These statistics clearly portray how the population in Ireland is ever growing and changing into

a more culturally diverse society. The Oxford Dictionary defines culturally diverse society as

“The existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society.” (Oxford Dictionaries

, 2017). This new diverse society will provide children with new opportunities to learn from

their non-Irish national peers and gain new learning experiences surrounded by a variety of

ethnic backgrounds. The reasoning behind this intercultural education is very similar to the

views and theories of John Dewey, he believed “Education should also equip students to take

a full and active part in shaping their future society. Traditional education, he believed, saw

children as empty, passive receptacles to be filled with ideas”. (Mike, 2017). However by

applying this intercultural education system, the result is a more versatile group of students as

they all benefit, learn and develop by learning through each other – especially when it comes

to different cultural backgrounds.

Recent research carried out by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) along with the

Office of the Minister for Integration has been focused on immigrant involvement in education,

especially primary and post primary. “This specific research, taken with the entirety of the

development of the Intercultural Education Strategy (IES), provides useful evidence based data

for policy makers, institutional leaders and educators”. (Intercultural Education Strategy,

2010). This informs decisions surrounding the development of intercultural education. The

Department of Education and Skills along with the Office of the Minister for Integration, state

that these elements are designed with a purpose to firstly “Encompass all participants in

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education (both education providers and students) – from both the immigrant and the host

communities”, showing that integration is a two-way system. A second purpose is to “Be

relevant to all levels of education”, meaning that it must apply to both primary, post-primary

and third level; and also must encompass all academic levels of various students from both the

immigrant and the host communities. Finally these elements are designed to “Ensure that

everybody has a role to play in creating an inclusive, integrated and intercultural educational

environment”. Meaning that for this intercultural society to function efficiently all involved

must work together in harmony – students/teachers and Irish/non-Irish. (Intercultural

Education Strategy, 2010).

Educators should always aim to have a friendly and safe intercultural environment for their

students to learn, which as a result will also promote inclusion in the classroom. Dermot Quish

makes an important point in his article that “interculturalism provides for a dialogue between

the host country and the new nationalities”. (Quish, 2008). This point is not only important

when adopted in the classroom, but also when it extents to the wider society it can promote

equality. It is important that we as a nation take full advantage of this intercultural society and

spend more time and effort working to develop our friendships and build relationships with

other people from various nationalities which will result in a greater appreciation for other

cultures. The DES has a similar outlook, it states that “all of society has a role to play in

promoting an intercultural ethos, integration, inclusion and diversity. Likewise, all educators,

regardless of whether or not they work with migrant students, have a responsibility to develop

an intercultural learning environment”. (Intercultural Education Strategy, 2010). Overall this

will result in a more accepting society where non-Irish members are appreciated for their

cultures and knowledge, in comparison to a society that marginalises and excludes the culture

and knowledge of non-nationals.

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DEIS Schools

The population in Ireland has changed significantly in the past two decades resulting in this

intercultural society that is still continuing to develop. As a result of the school system has also

adapted to accommodate these changes. One way the government has implemented change to

deal with this ever growing population is to set up DEIS schools. “It forms part of the

Department of Education and Skills social inclusion strategy Delivering Equality of

Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) to help children and young people who are at risk of or who

are experiencing educational disadvantage”. (CI, 2015). Due to the high percentage of non-

Irish nationals now living here in Ireland, the monochrome nature of school classes have been

replaced with various students from a number of ethnic backgrounds, which also distinctly

reflects the changes in the make-up of society.

Ethnic Clustering & Segregation

The Irish Times published an article in 2015 based on data from the Department of Education

and Skills annual school census 2013-2014. This data showed that “Four out of five children

from immigrant backgrounds were concentrated in 23 per cent of the State’s primary schools”,

and “In 20 schools, more than two-thirds of pupils were recorded as being of a non-Irish

background”. (Duncan & Humphreys, 2015). This information seems disturbing and troubling

as there appears to be segregation occurring as a result. Segregation is “the action or state of

setting someone or something apart from others”. (Oxford Dictionaries, 2017). While there

may be some obvious reasons for geographical segregation in the ethnic make-up of schools in

relation to their catchment areas; there are striking differences with the ethnic make-up of

schools within the same areas here in Ireland. The article in The Irish Times presents data from

two different schools in the same town – showing there to be 86.1% of students are non-Irish

nationals in school A, in comparison to only 1.1% of students are non-Irish nationals in school

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B. There is a similar pattern to this in various schools examined also. (Duncan & Humphreys,

2015).

An article published by the Oireachtas Library & Research Service, suggests that segregation

can result in poorer educational outcomes. They provide three reasons why students attending

urban DEIS schools perform worse that other students attending non-disadvantaged schools.

Their reasons are as follows – 1: “teachers in urban disadvantaged schools tend to have less

experience”. 2: “DEIS schools have greater proportions of literacy difficulties and additional

language needs in the classroom”. 3: “DEIS schools have lower than average attendance

levels”. (Choosing segregation? The implications of school choice, 2015). This article also

outlines characteristics that can be attributed to DEIS schools around the country. Firstly they

claim that students’ that attend DEIS schools are more likely to come from working-class and

un-employed households/backgrounds. They also suggest that DEIS schools have a much

higher level of newly arriving students’ – which is most likely the result of being located in

areas of low-cost housing, where the level of non-Irish nationals are much higher than the

national average. Finally they say DEIS schools enrol a greater number of students’ with

physical disabilities, learning difficulties and pupils from the traveller community, compared

to non-DEIS schools. (Choosing segregation? The implications of school choice, 2015).

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established “to

promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the

world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share

experiences and seek solutions to common problems”. (About the OECD, 2017). They have

published an article which challenges the argument made by Oireachtas Library & Research

Service in the previous paragraph. In this article, the OECD report that the education

background for non-Irish national students is on average greater than their Irish peers. They

also suggest that schools with a high number of academically driven students, experience a

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“culture of achievement”, which results in a more positive performance from students within

lower socio-economic groups. While there is a clear socio-economic element to this

segregation, it can also be argued that school choice can have a significant impact on non-Irish

nationals – many of whom find places in DEIS schools. In his article in The Irish Times, John

Condon states that “Deis schools have a disproportionate number of students of non-Irish

backgrounds, often as high as 40 per cent of intake”, while in contrast to this, “the national

figure for such children is closer to 10 per cent”. (Condon, 2015). However due to the fact there

is such an imbalance and the high number of students attending these DEIS schools, Condon

also adds how there are “raised standards, new approaches, wider subject choice and changed

pedagogy”. (Condon, 2015). Which will in turn encourage students’ to perform to the best of

their abilities.

School Admissions Criteria

Currently in Ireland parents are allowed to choose any public school to send their child.

However there are a number of restrictions to this choice regarding how various different

schools select their students. Oversubscribed schools are those that are “having more

applications than available places”. (Oxford Dictionaries, 2017). These schools are therefore

broadly allowed to draw up their own admission policies, and a child’s application may be

prioritised for any of the following reasons – “where they live (catchment area); their religion

(if it is a denominational school); whether their parent is a former pupil; or whether or not they

have a sibling already attending the school”. (Choosing segregation? The implications of

school choice, 2015). Under Section 7(3)(C) of the Equal Status Act 2000, oversubscribed

schools may admit “persons of a particular religious denomination in preference to others or it

refuses to admit as a student a person who is not of that denomination”. (Equal Status Act 2000,

2000). However in the case of a refusal, the school would have to prove it was done to protect

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and maintain the ethos of the school. In cases like this, Section 29 of the Education Act 1998

allows parents/guardians to make an appeal to the Secretary General of the Department of

Education and Science regarding a school refusing a student, suspension or expulsion of a

student. (Education Act , 1998).

In their article in The Irish Times, Duncan and Humphreys discuss the Education (Admission

to School) Bill, which has since been published by Minister for Education and Skills, Richard

Bruton in 2015. This Bill seeks to ensure each school has inclusive admission policies – “The

legislation targets what the department calls “soft barriers” to admission by forcing schools to

publish entrance policies, and make it illegal to turn down a student on grounds of race, religion

or disability”. (Duncan & Humphreys, 2015). In the article it is outlined that many believe that

further measures are needed to successfully integrate the immigrant community along with the

various other minorities in education. The article also mentions how policies such as

prioritising students from a particular religious background and waiting lists are leaving

immigrant families at a greater disadvantage when searching for a school. In particular, waiting

lists are a big problem for migrant families, as they are not native to the local community.

Therefor they cannot be placed on the schools waiting list. (Duncan & Humphreys, 2015). As

a result of this, parents/guardians are forced to send their children to DEIS schools – thus

making the problem of segregation worse.

Problems such as the ‘Baptism Barrier’ are preventing this intercultural society to advance.

The Baptism barrier was a policy used by schools which allowed them to refuse any student

that is not of the same religious background; this is a major issue we have in our educational

system at present and has been thoroughly analysed in an article wrote in The Irish Times. In

this article it outlines that 90 per cent of schools in Ireland are Catholic, and in the most recent

census it shows that 20 per cent of children have absolutely no religious background. What this

means is that people were being forced to baptise their child/children in hope they would

11
receive a place in the local schools. (Clarke & O'Brien, 2017). Although this is no longer the

case for primary schools since Minister for Education Richard Bruton made the announcement

that “Catholic primary schools will not be able discriminate on the basis of religion in their

admissions policies”. (Clarke & O'Brien, 2017).

School Choice

The OECD published a working paper in 2012 which focused on current policies regarding

school choice in the various OECD countries. (Musset, 2012). School choice programmes

introduce a ‘market’ in the education system – customer choice and competition between

schools: “school choice essentially positions parents as consumers empowered to select from

several options – thereby injecting a degree of consumer-driven, market-style competition into

the system as schools seek to attract those families” (Feinberg & Lubienski, 2008, p. 2). Each

country that has adopted these school choice programmes has its own motives and reasoning

for doing so. In general the intended outcome is to make schools more competitive and the

hope is that this will result in higher educational standards by having schools compete. Another

intended outcome however is to counteract residential segregation by providing fairer access

to schools. In England, prior to the 1988 Education Reform Act, it was the Local Authorities

that decided the school catchment areas. However the 1988 Act, gave parents the freedom to

request any particular government run school. As funding was directly linked to the number of

students attending, this meant that schools had to compete for students. (Choosing segregation?

The implications of school choice, 2015).

The OECD recommended that the school choice program be designed carefully so as to benefit

both advantaged and disadvantaged families. A key factor when implementing this is a fair

selection criteria for schools – The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, 2016 which was

published by Richard Bruton, aims to tackle the barriers which presented to newcomers

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arriving in Ireland. This bill proposes “an end to waiting lists, introduction of annual enrolment

structures, and transparency and fairness in admissions for pupils and their parents”. (Education

(Admission to Schools) Bill , 2016). On one side of the argument, this challenges the rights of

denominational schools to give preference to students of a particular religious background.

This would eliminate any disadvantages associated with minority faiths in the various areas

where the demand for places is high and schools are oversubscribed.

The counter argument however is that parents have the right to decide to educate their child in

accordance with their beliefs. This is outlined in Article 42 of Bunreacht na hÉireann

(Constitution of Ireland), when it states that “Article 42 guarantees to respect the inalienable

right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral,

intellectual, physical and social education of their children”. (Constitution of Ireland, 2016, p.

168). Furthermore, an article by Sarah Mac Donald in the Irish Independent, outlines how the

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has defended Catholic schools’ right to prioritise

students who are baptized in the Catholic Church. “The Archbishop, who is patron of 470

primary schools in the archdiocese of Dublin, said: ‘In Catholic schools, they obviously

prioritise people who are Catholic’.” (Mac Donald, 2015). However as previously stated in the

case of a refusal, the school would have to prove it was done to protect and maintain the ethos

of the school. (Education Act , 1998).

School choice is a feature of the Irish education system and, so long as there are places

available, parents/guardians are generally able to send their children to whichever school they

wish. As most students attend the school nearest to them, especially at primary level; school

segregation is mainly the result of geographical factors. The make-up of any particular school

reflects the ethnic composition and class of the area. Although in many countries increasing

school choice is used as means of counteracting residential inequality and offering students

better prospects in life. However, school choice can possibly result in further school

13
segregation “as schools, through a combination of admission policies and parental decisions,

become differentiated according to class, religion and socio economic status. Evidence of this

is seen where schools in close proximity to one another have a significant difference in student

composition”. (Choosing segregation? The implications of school choice, 2015).

Ireland has always had a school choice admission system and it is unlikely that this will change,

however it is possible that school segregation will continue to worsen due to the factors

mentioned above, which are affecting school choice. A recommendation posted by the Joint

Committee on Education and Social Protection’s pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) from the

Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015 was ““Where a Patron has more than one school

in a particular area, consideration could be given to requiring that Patron to put-in-place a

common application system. Schools in a particular area should, irrespective of their patronage,

cooperate in relation to admissions”. (Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, 2015). This

particular scenario would result in a parent applying to a particular patron instead of directly

applying to a particular school. If this was carried out effectively, students with different ethnic

backgrounds, non-Irish nationals, Irish students and other students from various minority

groups could all apply together to a common organisation, then be equally and evenly placed

around the different schools in the particular area. This way all students’, regardless of their

social or ethnic background, will have equal admission opportunities – therefor beginning to

tackle the problem that is school segregation.

Some schools are already attempting to tackle the problem of school segregation. Four schools

in Lucan, Co. Dublin there are multidenominational Educate Together schools set up so as to

“guarantee equality of access and esteem to children irrespective of their social, cultural or

religious background, are learner centred in their approach to education and are run as

participatory democracies, with respectful partnership between parents, pupils and staff”.

(Educate Together, 2016). These schools have set up a common enrolment system, with the

14
aim of promoting social and school inclusion, along with practical considerations such as ease

of access, mobility and traffic conditions in the particular area. “The system prioritises children

according to age, with older children given priority. Those with siblings already enrolled in a

school, and a family’s proximity to the school, are also taken into consideration”. (Duncan, We

have allowed segregation to happen, 2015).

Support for Schools

As already mentioned, DEIS schools were set up “to help children and young people who are

at risk of or who are experiencing educational disadvantage”. (CI, 2015). As a result of this,

“the DEIS programme uses a standardised system in order to identify the levels of disadvantage

and an integrated School Support Programme (SSP).” (Choosing segregation? The

implications of school choice, 2015). There are currently 902 schools included in the DEIS

programme – 704 primary schools and 198 post primary schools spread across the country.

(DEIS School List , 2017). In 2015 The Economic and Social Research Institute (ERSI)

published a report which gives us a review of DEIS over its ten year existence. The report

presents factual evidence showing that, “students in disadvantaged schools have lower

achievement levels than those in more socially advantaged schools”. (Choosing segregation?

The implications of school choice, 2015). The report states that - “There has been little

discussion of whether the scale of additional DEIS funding is sufficient to bridge the gap in

resources between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged settings.” (Smyth, McCoy, &

Kingston, 2015).

Inclusion

Inclusion is an extremely important feature in education when dealing with an interculturaly

diverse group of students, and in particular when dealing with differentiation in a classroom,

so as to promote a safe, positive and comfortable learning environment for all involved. In

15
particular it is very important when dealing with non-Irish Nationals and other various minority

groups, to ensure they feel welcome and part of the class group. The term inclusion is defined

by Polat in a very straight forward manner when he says, “Inclusion is inclusion of all

regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, language, socio-economic

status, and any other aspect of an individual’s identity that might be perceived as different”.

(Polat, 2011). It is essential that educators do not allow any student to feel left out of the class

group, regardless of these minor differences there are between us. Inclusion is defined in the

dictionary as “The action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure”.

(Oxford Dictionaries, 2017).

Teachers require a high level of skill when dealing with a wide range of students’ needs in the

classroom. The importance of these skills involved are clearly outlined in a report published

by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). “The TDA Education Trust is a

charitable organisation dedicated to raising educational outcomes across a range of primary

and secondary phase schools and academies”. (TDA Education Trust, 2016). The report states

that we as educators must, “Know how to make effective personalised provision for those they

teach, including those for whom English is an additional language or who have special

educational needs or disabilities, and how to take practical account of diversity and promote

equality and inclusion in their teaching”. (TDA, 2007, p. 9).

Promoting Inclusion in Schools

One of the most important factors of an inclusive education is that every single individual learns

in their own particular way, no two learners are exactly the same. Therefor to operate a fully

inclusive classroom, educators must place great importance on producing opportunities for

students to learn and also be evaluated in various different ways. Teachers must always be

conscious of the wide range of learning styles, (visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social

16
and solitary) (Ferriman, 2013). This is to accommodate the learning needs of each individual

student in the class – once again this promotes inclusion, “Certainly this enhances the way in

which educators provide supports and accommodations for students with disabilities, but it also

diversifies the educational experience of all students”. (Together We Learn Better: Inclusive

Schools Benefit all Children, 2015). In his book Essential Teaching Skills, Chris Kyriacou

outlines some very interesting points in relation to the different learning styles. Although it is

important to teach using a variety of different styles, it is important not to match a learning

style with any particular student/s. Kyriacou states that “it is important to help pupils to develop

the skills to learn effectively in their non-preferred learning styles, as pupils who are taught

overwhelmingly in their preferred learning style may not be able to develop a full range of

learning skills”. (Kyriacou, 2007, p. 46).

The NCCA have an article on their website in relation to diversity and inclusion, in this article

they define an inclusive school as one that, “welcomes, recognises, respects and celebrates

diversity. A commitment to achieve equality of access, opportunity, participation and outcome

for all its students is a foundational principle of an inclusive school”. (NCCA, Issues of

Diversity and Inclusion, 2008).

Great care must be taken in schools with a high number of non-Irish Nationals and other various

minority groups, when promoting inclusion. This relates in particular to DEIS schools but also

non-disadvantaged schools. Although Ireland claims to have an intercultural society, problems

constantly arise causing issues for families with alternative ethnic and religious backgrounds.

As previously mentioned, the NCCA have outlined that Intercultural Education has two main

focal points – firstly it “celebrates and recognises the normality of diversity in all areas of

human life and sensitises the learner to the idea that humans have naturally developed a range

of different ways of life, customs and worldviews, and that this breadth of human life enriches

all of us.” (NCCA, 2008). If this is the case, it is difficult to propose any argument that would

17
wish to oppose an intercultural society – because what interculturalism represents is a country

or society which not only recognises its populations cultural diversity; it celebrates and

embraces its differences, with the hope that we can all learn and develop as human beings

together.

Many schools will have a number of traveller and Roma children attending, because of this the

school as a whole must give care, attention and support to these students to ensure they feel a

sense of belonging. These are both examples of small minority groups and are supported by

the Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, which is a non-governmental organisations that

works to promote traveller and Roma human rights in Ireland. This organisation “work to

address the needs of Travellers and Roma as minority ethnic groups experiencing exclusion,

discrimination and racism. Our work involves a community work approach based on the

principles of human rights, participation, equality and interculturalism”. (Pavee Point, 2015).

This work is extremely important because even in Irish society today, there are still minority

groups and Non-Irish Nationals that are forced to deal with all of these factors - exclusion,

discrimination and racism on a regular basis. These are all factors that should not be tolerated,

and it is groups like Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre that are working to stomp out these

unnecessary factors that affect the lives of many.

The evidence suggests that an intercultural education system, along with an intercultural

society can support and promote equality by allowing people from various ethnic backgrounds

to work together and get past any minor differences we may have. This relates to society as

well as in the classroom. A good method of promoting inclusion in the classroom, especially

when meeting a group of students for the first time, is to get to know them and work to build

an effective professional relationship. This method can greatly influence the dynamic of the

lessons. Kyriacou states that “pupils’ learning is most likely to flourish in a climate where this

relationship is based on mutual respect and rapport between yourself and your pupils”.

18
(Kyriacou, 2007). This will also benefit when engaging the students in active and productive

learning, “To engage students effectively in the learning process, teachers must know their

students and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or ethnic

stereotypes”. (Holtam, 2016). The same applies to all students in you class regardless of their

culture or ethnic background. It is vital to know your students to ensure they are engaged fully,

it is then possible to relate new learning to everyday situations that also affect them. After some

research, it suggests that this intercultural education system may be slowly working to break

down racial and stereotypical barriers. It is possible that children are more accepting and are

therefore, “able to treat others based on character rather than skin colour”. (Olson, 2013). This

is an excellent outlook to have, and one which can hopefully develop, grow and spread here in

Ireland and across the world to ensure all peoples, regardless of race or ethnicity, can feel a

sense of belonging and inclusion; without having to deal with terrible factors such as

discrimination and racism.

Conclusion

It is evident that interculturalism has a profound effect on both the education system and society

here in Ireland. Ireland is an excellent example of a country that has adopted an intercultural

society where many different people from many different nationalities and ethnic minority

groups come together to live in one single community in which all persons benefit and learn

from each other. An example being the services Youth Work Ireland provides. As indicated by

the Census findings in 2016, the population in Ireland is becoming increasingly diverse and is

constantly progressing in this direction. In addition to this, by applying this intercultural

education system, the result is a more versatile group of students as they all benefit, grow and

develop by learning through each other. This not only benefits the students, but also promotes

a sense of inclusion and integration within the community, thus helping to tackle issues of

19
discrimination and racism. DEIS schools were established to help young people who are at risk

of or facing educational disadvantage, however this has resulted in segregation in these schools

due to complications such as housing and the Baptism Barrier set in place by Catholic schools.

As a result of this, various bills have been passed in an attempt to overcome this segregation

of minority groups. Considering this I believe promoting inclusion in the classroom is

extremely important when tackling areas such as discrimination and racism, so that no student

feels like they are not welcome or that they do not belong. As Jo Cox, a British politician once

said, “We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that

divide us”. (Cox, 2017).

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