Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School - National Council ...

IDENTITY AND BELONGINGChildren have a right to understand andparticipate in the diverse cultural,linguistic, social and artistic expressions ofIrishness. The recognition of thecontribution of different communities tothe richness of diversity in contemporaryIreland is identified as a key learning aimof the curriculum. This recognises thatdiversity is a characteristic of the groupswho can be regarded as ‘belonging’ inIreland. As was stated in Chapter 1, this istrue of both historic and contemporaryIreland. This recognition may mean, inpractice, the exploration of the broadspectrum of Irish culture in Irish, English,and, increasingly in other languages also.For junior-cycle students, becoming awareof the concepts on which our nationalpolitical culture is based (justice,democracy, equality, rights, etc.), will be animportant part of coming to make sense oftheir identity, historically and at thepresent time.Similarly, the links with European cultureand a balanced and informed awareness ofthe diversity of peoples and environmentsin the world is also identified as a key issuein post-primary education. Such awarenesscontributes to young people’s personal andsocial development as citizens of anintercultural Ireland, Europe and the globalcommunity. Recognition of the linksbetween Irish cultures and languages andthe cultures and languages of otherEuropean countries (for example, the linksbetween Gaeilge, Welsh, Breton and ScotsGaelic) will enable the student to develop astrong positive sense of national identitywithout this being seen as hostile to otheridentities.The development of a positive sense of selfis central to intercultural education, andindeed to education generally. Members ofminority ethnic groups who arediscriminated against, or whose cultureand way of life is not represented asnormal or typical in their environment,may be in danger of developing a lowsense of self-esteem or of wishing to denytheir cultural or physical heritage. Forexample, some Traveller children may wishnot be identified as Travellers due to thenegative images of Travellers to which theyhave been exposed while some blackchildren may develop negative attitudes totheir skin colour due to the preponderanceof white people in our culture’srepresentations of beauty. There is also adanger for members of the majority ethnicgroup that their sense of self-esteem maybecome tied to a sense of their culture’snormality or superiority. For youngchildren this sense of self-esteem will bedeveloped through a growing awareness oftheir physical and cultural attributes (theirhome culture, their skin colour, etc.), and asense that their own attributes and those ofothers are equally valuable. This positivesense of self as an individual, as a memberof a cultural or ethnic group, and as amember of an intercultural society will befurther developed in all childrenthroughout their schooling.52Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School