Education In Irish Education

2604 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Education equality for all students through the years

The Irish education system has been constantly evolving through the influences of philosophy, social changes and the history of the state. It is my opinion that the sociological changes have had a massive influence on the policies that have been implemented into the Irish education system. The policy that I will be focusing on is one of equal education opportunities for everyone with a focus on the sociological side to these changes. I will be looking at the policy of an equal education in terms of social class and gender.

In the early nineteenth century education was only open to the children of upper and middle class families, this was especially true for second and third level education. The reason for this was twofold, firstly working class families simply couldn't afford the fees of sending a child to school or pay for the books and equipment, secondly children were needed to work to help support their families. Middle and upper class families were able to pay for the education if they felt it was necessary, in this way education was seen a commodity. John Coolahan states this saying "Secondary education was seen as a concern for middle-classes who, if they saw fit, should buy it as a commodity" (Coolahan 1981). A second important issue is gender, policies have been implemented that have allowed girls go from not having access to education to today regularly outperforming their male counterparts. Women's role in society was seen as the "stay at home wife" who looked after the children and cooked the dinner. Due to this role it was seen there was no need to educate girls and took a long period of time before changes were successfully made.

There was a progressive shift throughout the nineteenth century about the values and ...

... middle of paper ...

...come from a working or middle class family. The second issue that effected equal education in the Irish education system was gender. The vast majority of girls in the nineteenth century didn't get an education and it took nearly 70 years for this to meaningfully change. Changes in education and society have resulted in girls generally being successful in education and often outperforming boys. Here we have two ways in which the policy wasn't being met and changes were made. One hasn't been entirely successful as middle class families can send their children to "top schools" while the other has been. If anything the inclusion of girls in the education system has been overly successful and now the government must look for ways to close the gender gap. Methods of creating an equal education need to be constantly examined and developed in order to meet the expectation.

Show More
Related

  • Women's Suffrage in the 1800’s-19th Century

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    As mentioned above, women’s role were unjust to the roles and freedoms of the men, so an advanced education for women was a strongly debated subject at the beginning of the nineteenth century (McElligott 1). The thought of a higher chance of education for women was looked down upon, in the early decades of the nineteenth century (The American Pageant 327). It was established that a women’s role took part inside the household. “Training in needlecraft seemed more important than training in algebra” (327). Tending to a family and household chores brought out the opinion that education was not necessary for women (McElligott 1). Men were more physically and mentally intellectual than women so it was their duty to be the educated ones and the ones with the more important roles. Women were not allowed to go any further than grammar school in the early part of the 1800’s (Westward Expansion 1). If they wanted to further their education beyond grammar, it had to be done on their own time because women were said to be weak minded, academically challenged and could n...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Benjamin Rush: The Theory Of Republican Education

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Education for women in America was previously an issue that women were fighting for and finally succeeded in being granted rights to go to school. Before women started fighting for this right, a Republican thought it would be fit that women be educated because this was a necessity for the future of the Republican Party to grow positively in America. Benjamin Rush, the Republican speaking on behalf of women education, was worried about the kind of leaders there would be to choose from without women able to educate their sons. In Hyman Kuritz’s document, “Benjamin Rush: His Theory of Republican Education” you can explicitly see that there is a divide among the people in America and that education could be the solution to this divide. By comparing

    Read More

  • Equal Opportunity in Education and the Brown vs. Board of Education Case

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Society holds a beneficial belief that education is a very prominent source that is necessary to engage in life’s successes. Education gives one the endurance to gain knowledge and the will power to accomplish goals and reach high standards. It allows individuals to know and understand the skills of life and the values it hold. Education has a history that has been around for hundreds of years that continuously develops as education improves, but the history of equal opportunity in education must continuously improve as well. Although education is known for its good deeds, inequality still plays a significant role in education today. There are opportunities that students must receive to relinquish some inequalities that are still present in education today. There are ways to address these obstacles and also ways to contribute to advanced opportunities to make education of equality.

    Read More

  • The Irish American Scholar Program

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Irish American Scholar Program will significantly enhance my educational goals for school as well as my life experiences. The unique opportunity this program offers coincides with a family value of expanding one’s knowledge beyond the small bubble of the everyday and exploring the world. The value of embracing new opportunities started with my grandfather when he broke away from the norm of his family and expanded his boundaries. His family, traditionally, lived and moved together, but when his family moved to Michigan, my grandfather decided to remain in Arkansas and join the Air Force, allowing him to travel not only in the United States but abroad to England. Similarly, my father decided to go to college several hours away from his family at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. This decision led him to a career with the government where he was able to experience several different cultures in the workplace and abroad. Being surrounded by inspirational family members has inspired me to pursue my own unique experience.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequalities Essay

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Education is the most important in the critical rank for reducing gender inequalities. Women’s status socioeconomically has increased with the time change, but only because they have more means of entry to improved circumstances. Forms of gender inequality still exist in our society, even in the highly developed world. Sex-segregation

    Read More

  • Ireland: The Invention of Tradition

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to legitimise a regime or cause, traditions may be constructed around historical or mythological events, people or symbols that reinforce the image required to focus people’s conception of the past. People can be encouraged to invent a cohesive view of their shared ‘traditions’ by what could be called cherry picking bits of history.

    Read More

  • Education and Women’s Social Roles

    1916 Words  | 4 Pages

    The expectations held by a society define the roles of its members. While many factors influence the parts individuals play in their cultures and communities, education has always been the crucial element in the establishment of social roles. Education was the catalyst which changed women's roles in society from what they were in the late 1800s to what they are now.

    Read More

  • Women's Right Movement

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The economic growth in the market economy women opportunity to work was very low Lucy Stone explained that the same society that pushes men forward keeps woman at home (Doc. H). Only low paying jobs were available such as factories, seamstress, or a teacher and in most states women had no control over their wages. Charlotte Woodward explained how she would sew gloves for a terrible wage but it was under rebellion she wished to choose her own job and the pay (Doc.E). The chart on Doc F explained how women between 1837-1844 dominated men as teachers in the Massachusetts Public School. The idea of the “cult of true womanhood” was that most respectable middle class women should stay at home and take care of the family and be the moral of the home. The advancement in the market economy gave women a chance to make their own money to be able to support themselves and work outside of the home. The nineteenth century was a ferment of reform such as the Second...

    Read More

  • Irish History and Economy

    2397 Words  | 5 Pages

    The “New Ireland” emerged in the 1990s’ when the country experienced an economic-cultural boom in which it was transformed from one of Europe's poorer countries into one of its wealthiest.

    Read More

  • Descent Into Madness: the Yellow Wallpaper

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 19th century middle to upper class women were faced with dichotomous roles. On one hand they were expected to be idle, fragile, not engaged in intellectual activities outside of the home. On the opposite hand these same women were expected to withstand the vagaries that were common during the 19th century such as the death of their husband or a reversal of their financial situation(i). This contradiction of roles bore heavily on women who often lacked power or control over their own lives(ii).

    Read More

  • Women in the 19th Century

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Education for women in the 1800s was far different from what we know today. During her life, a girl was taught more necessary skills around the home than the information out of school books. A woman’s formal education was limited because her job opportunities were limited—and vice versa. Society could not conceive of a woman entering a profession such as medicine or the law and therefore did not offer her the chance to do so. It was much more important to be considered 'accomplished' than thoroughly educated. Elizabeth Bennet indicated to her sisters that she would continue to learn through reading, describing education for herself as being unstructured but accessible. If a woman desired to further he education past what her classes would teach her, she would have to do so independently, and that is what most women did.

    Read More

  • The History of Women in Education

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Victorian Period receiving an education was an act of unconformity. Women were to be pure, domestic, and submissive and these traits could not be achieved through education. The education of women was thought to disrupt the social balance of time, but in the Victorian Period women were educated because they were mothers of men. They wanted women to teach their children so they had to be educated. Women were stripped of their rights and dignity, but they were finally free to break through the co...

    Read More

  • Education Reform in Ireland

    2464 Words  | 5 Pages

    The education system in Ireland has always been a considerable point of discord. It has been the focus of numerous debates and reforms. Many of these initiatives have been heralded as exemplary feats of innovation and reform in there early days and then rapidly seem to deteriorate over time. Even our success stories appear as isolated pockets of excellence are as likely to atrophy as to prosper (Fullan, 2001). The power to select and shape curriculum in Ireland has predominately rested in the hands of the privileged few. As a consequence of this the values and rationale underlining Irish curriculum have persistently lacked consultation, partnership and connectivity with the true drivers and targets of the initiatives. This has led to the repeated introduction of new reforms and the repeated failures of these reforms in the most vicious of cyclical processes. As we stand on the cusp a truly radical educational reform, this paper will outline how the NCCA are transcending past failures and resistance to change by sectoral interests to create an educational reform that will if politically and locally supported alter the fabric of the educational system and Irish society. This will be done by critically evaluating the importance of consultation/ partnership in successful reforms, the approach that the NCCA are taking and finally the values in these proposed changes and how they compare to the current school culture and curriculum.

    Read More

  • Culture of Ireland

    3089 Words  | 7 Pages

    This paper will investigate the culture of Ireland by taking a look at the five characteristics. Each characteristic will be allotted its own subsections. The first section will encompass the history to illuminate the connection of a country’s struggle and their learned culture. I will communicate the key aspects that connect an individual culture to the region of the world it inhabits in the second section. In the third section, the language and art of the land are discussed to draw lines to the symbols a culture is founded upon. The fourth section of the essay is dedicated to the characteristic of culture being made up of many components. This is illustrated by the ethnicity/racial, weather, terrain, and military breakdown of the island. The final section is commentary on the dynamic characteristic that interacting cultures learn, develop, and transform due to their shared contact and friction.

    Read More

  • The Employability Paradigm

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    O’Sullivan, D. 2006. Cultural Politics and Irish Education since the 1950’s. Ireland: Cork University Press.

    Read More

More about Education In Irish Education

Open Document