1. History of Development Education in Tertiary Education
Melíosa Bracken
11thSeptember 2014

2. Historical Influences
Penny for the ‘Black Baby’
Missionaries returning from developing countries
Media coverage of famine and conflict in Biafra

3. Higher Education forDev Cooperation
Higher Education for Development
Cooperation (HEDCO) was founded in 1975 by
Irish universities and institutes of further
education. While predominantly concerned with
promoting links with developing countries, it
played a significant role in enriching teaching and
research on development issues in Irish colleges
(O’Neill, 1995, p192). These new developments
led to a sustained advocacy for development
education initiatives (O’Brien, 1980, p37), building
on earlier attempts by church-based organisations
to advocate for development-related education
programmes.

4. 1980s
“Therewere very few people who had heard of development education in the early eighties,
and it was very unknown, particularly to the education sector, it would have been unknown.
It wasn’t acknowledged as a valid or relevant educational approach I think in those days. I
think it was just considered as an interest of those who’d worked with missionaries and
overseas people. Certainly, the education side of it had not been developed or established
inIreland”

5. 1979 – Statutory Involvement
Minister for Foreign Affairs set up the Advisory Council on Development Cooperation. [ACDC]
Major study carried out in 1982 to ascertain knowledge and attitudes towards development cooperation in Ireland
Recommendations that the Irish public needed educational interventions to arise awareness and deepen understanding of development issues.

6. 1985 – Development Education Support Centres
Department of Foreign Affairs allocated funding to promote Dev Ed in schools and universities.
Two centres set up in St. Patrick’s College, Dublin and in Mary Immaculate Limerick – two teacher education colleges.
Start of ‘institutionalising’ Dev Ed
Very influential n mainstreaming Dev Ed in the formal education sector, particularly in initial teacher education

7. Broader Political Influences
OECD
Human Rights Law
United Nations membership (0.7% commitment)

8. Development Education and Higher Education
1960s – small number of development studies courses
1987 – voluntary extracurricular global education course offered to student teachers enrolled in H Dip programme

9. Role ofKimmageDSC
Early driver of DE – “Very influential in putting DE on the agenda of postgraduate courses”
Some tensions between ‘Development Studies’ and ‘Development Education’