Norma Foley on gender identity: ‘Kindness and inclusion must always be the heartbeat of schools’

In Norma Foley’s ministerial office, the walls are festooned with colourful drawings sent in by students.

Among the handprints and floral patterns is an intricate portrait of the minister by a seven-year-old boy, including her trademark pearl necklace, decorative broche and broad grin.

“It’s very lifelike — he didn’t miss a single detail!” she laughs.

The office could easily be mistaken for a head teacher’s office. That, after all, was her world until 2020, when the English teacher at Presentation Secondary School in Tralee, Co Kerry, was catapulted into the office of Minister for Education as a first-time TD.

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If that wasn’t enough, there was also the small matter of a pandemic, school closures and a cancelled Leaving Cert to deal with.

“There’s no doubt it was a massive leap, but I just feel blessed beyond measure that it was into the Department Education,” she says.

“I have spent all my working life, all my professional life really in education. People have different views, but I think it’s a great gift to come into the department, knowing the school sector intimately. Probably most importantly, though, knowing students, knowing their potential and possibility.

“I always like to tell students when I meet them at the Department of Education: we serve you. I don’t think that they hear that enough. Because we do. It is our job. It is our entire raison d’être to lift them up and [ensure] their potential, their possibility in life will be realised because of the support that we give them.”

Foley is relentlessly positive. She can sound like a fervent head teacher, dispensing lavish praise for everyone, focusing on collective endeavour, combined with an impressive (if infuriating, for a journalist) ability to talk around a subject, without getting mired in detail.

Yet, for all her passion for student-centred education, key planks of her ambitious plans to reform the pressure cooker Leaving Cert for students have fallen by the wayside.

First, a plan to move Irish and English paper one to fifth year to reduce the burden on students was abandoned — or “paused” — last year in the face of opposition.

Then, earlier this year, plans for teachers to assess their students’ project work in each subject were also “deferred”. Instead, this work will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission.

An observer could be forgiven for thinking that teachers’ unions, rather than the Minister, have been calling many of the shots on education reform.

Foley insists the changes still mean the senior cycle will be “fit for purpose for the 21st century”, with much broader assessment and reduced pressure to perform in a single, written exam in June.

Project work across all subjects will still allow students gain up to 40 per cent of marks by, for example, conducting an experiment in chemistry, developing an animation for the new film, theatre and drama subject or conducting physics research.

The changes, due to roll out from September 2024 onwards, will be transformative and give students’ the chance to be “actively invested” in their education, she says.

“I don’t ever believe students should be passive in their learning. I feel they should be proactive and fully engaged. They lean on the support and guidance, obviously, of the teacher — but the more invested they are, the better they will do at the end of the day,” she says.

The teacher assessment element was “paused”, she says, due to the need to conduct an in-depth study into the rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI). ChatGPT, for example, could theoretically generate a project within seconds.

The AI explanation seems scarcely credible given that teachers, rather than external examiners, would surely be better placed to spot anything untoward in their students’ work.

Foley insists the State Examinations Commission has robust processes in place and that there is a genuine need to assess and embrace the potential of AI across education and to be mindful of any threats.

If anything could test her positivity, it is surely how the culture wars over gender identity are unfolding in school communities.

The Enoch Burke case and polarised din of social media mean everything from toilets, uniforms and students’ pronouns are the subject of fierce debate.

Her own constituency office has been targeted by protesters, while gardaí had to be called to a Co Mayo school where she was hounded by members of the Burke family and supporters.

Meanwhile, the British government has issued guidance to schools to “take a very cautious approach” if pupils want to use a new name, pronouns or uniform, issues which go to the heart of the Burke case.

In a world where there are few agreed “facts” around gender identity, it seems likely these issues will continue to be a source of controversy.

Challenges loom in 2024, meanwhile. The supply of teachers is among the most pressing issues

The Junior Cycle curriculum for social, personal and health education (SPHE) was recently implemented, while an equivalent curriculum specification will follow for senior cycle in 2024 and primary level in 2025.

Foley insists everything taught in schools is subject to a detailed consultation process where everyone gets to have their say. She is unapologetic over moves to tackle bullying and ensure school policies are inclusive of everyone.

“I have always said, and I have stated it consistently, our schools are places of welcome and inclusion,” she says.

“You know, we have put huge emphasis on the Cinealtas [anti-bullying] programme, the Cinealtas flags, kindness, inclusion, opportunity. That must always be the heartbeat of our schools. That should continue to inform everything that we do.”

Another challenge is the inclusion of Ukrainian students in Irish schools. The figures are eye-opening: 18,000 additional students have been absorbed into primary and second level since February 2022.

While there is capacity at primary level nationally, things are tighter at second level where there is a demographic bulge which predates the new arrivals.

While she acknowledges there are pressure points at second level, she pays tribute to school communities and Education and Training Boards who have assisted in finding places for Ukrainian children and organising supports.

“I do want to acknowledge the extraordinary generosity from school communities who have made it possible. The department has provided resources and additional staffing, and that’s very, very important,” she said.

“But if the goodwill wasn’t there on the ground, to make this work — from the staff who work every single day in the schools and indeed the students themselves — it never would have worked up to this point.”

The year has ended on a positive when the OECD — the international body which, among other things, ranks countries by the standard of their education — assessed Ireland as a high performer and one of the best in Europe.

Challenges loom in 2024, meanwhile. The supply of teachers is among the most pressing issues. Pay and conditions look set to rumble along, as well as the resourcing of schools. One novel aspect will be the planned Citizens’ Assembly which is scheduled to examine the “future of education.”

While it is an initiative of the Taoiseach’s department, Foley says she is keen to see it address one big area: equality of opportunity.

“I fundamentally believe that education is the greatest leveller. I would very much like the Citizens’ Assembly to address …how do we ensure that every child who comes into the education system is best supported, guided and minded to reach the maximum of their potential ... that speaks to the core of what education should be about.”

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