Maeve Martin

 Brief descriptor of what DICE is  Context in which the programme takes place  Official Policy Context  The structure of the programme  A flavour of the programme content  A flavour of the programme activities  Some of the challenges facing the programme

 DICE is a programme that is funded by Irish Aid. It operates in the 5 Colleges of Education that cater for the pre-service formation of primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland  DICE has as its central aim the embedding of development and intercultural education as essential elements of initial teacher education  DICE seeks to promote global solidarity, human rights and environmental awareness while developing in students positive attitudes & values of peace, tolerance and social justice, while challenging discrimination & inequality globally and locally.

 Irish Aid, the funding body, is the Irish Government’s programme for overseas development. It is a Division of The Department of Foreign Affairs  1100 students enrol in the 5 Colleges of Education in each academic year. Two Colleges of Education are large; 3 are small  In 2010, 22% of the entrants were male  All entrants to teacher ed are high attainers  There are 3,305 primary schools in Ireland catering for 509,652 pupils;10% are migrant.

 The White Paper on Irish Aid (2006) states “The Government intends that every person in Ireland will have access to educational opportunities to be aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities as global citizens and their potential to effect change for a more just and equal world”.

 The NCCA produced a set of guidelines to assist teachers in their teaching of Intercultural Education (2005). These seek to foster: “Education which respects, celebrates and recognises the normality of diversity in all areas of human life (and ) which promotes equality and human rights, challenges unfair discrimination, and promotes the values upon which equality is built”

 ‘State of the world’ knowledge, the link between the local & global  Relationships between the Global North and the Global South  The causes and consequences of global poverty and underdevelopment  Aid, debt, tax & trade  Human rights and responsibilities  Equality, inequality and social justice  Peace, conflict and resolution  Migration, asylum and refugee systems  The environment and environmental sustainability

 Identity and the role of identity  Different cultures, value systems, religions, languages, political systems  Diversity and similarity across systems  Human rights, citizenship and responsibilities  Equality and inequality  Social justice  Racism, prejudice, and discrimination  Migration, asylum and refugee systems

 Cross-collaboration between colleges on DICE events  Construction of a DICE Website (  Development of a mobile DICE Library  Annual Resource Fairs in each of the 5 Colleges  Biannual Conference, national & international speakers  Production of a DICE DVD for use in primary classrooms  Continuous Professional Development (CPD) events within all the Colleges  Research on themes of relevance to the DICE agenda  Contribution to national debate on relevant issues  Linking with National Agencies and NGOs  Frequent meetings of the Management Committee, and of the Network of DICE College Lecturers  All overseen by the Programme Manager, Aoife Titley.

 The consolidation of DICE principles and practices within the Colleges of Education  Sustainability beyond the period of guaranteed funding from Irish Aid  The interface of Development Education (DE) and Intercultural Education (ICE)  The accommodation of DICE in a very crowded teacher education programme  The acquisition of teaching methodologies that do justice to DICE  Keeping DICE central and lived out in practice  Making real the multiplier potential of DICE.

Contact: Aoife Titley, DICE Programme Manager Phone: Address: The DICE Project Church of Ireland College of Education 96 Upper Rathmines Road Rathmines Dublin 6, Ireland.