Special ‘Studies’ on shaping Irish education
The autumn 2026 issue of Studies is available now. It is a special issue, devoted entirely to the theme of primary and post-primary education in Ireland, and it is offered as a contribution to the conversation that has informed the current National Convention on Education.
It features substantial articles by many leading educationalists and experts, including: Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Joseph Dunne, emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Education, DCU; Kathleen Lynch, Emeritus Full Professor of Equality Studies in the School of Education at UCD and presidential appointee to the Council of State; and John Walshe, education journalist, author and consultant. This issue of Studies was curated by Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, former president of the University of Galway, a member of the Studies board and also appointed by President Catherine Connolly to the Council of State.
In July 2025, then Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee announced the establishment of a National Convention on Education, a deliberative forum that, focusing mainly on primary and post-primary education, would make recommendations for the Government’s new long-term strategy, ‘Our Schools, Our Future’. It was proposed that the Convention’s agenda would be drawn from a prior ‘National Conversation on Education’, a process of consultation with all education stakeholders in the country – educators, parents, carers, young people, and advocacy groups, among others. Through surveys, written submissions and community engagement events, it would seek to identify the principal concerns, aspirations and priorities that should inform the Convention’s deliberations.
The period of conversation has already taken place, and the Convention on Education is now in process with the current Minister, Hildegarde Naughton, having secured Government approval for its agenda in April of this year. It is described as ‘a once in a generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come’.
As a contribution to this conversation, Studies has brought together a wide variety of voices, representing many sectors, or education ‘stakeholders’, including academics, policy makers, journalists, teachers, and students. Some of the leading themes include education for the ‘age of accelerations’ (Andreas Schleicher), language learning for a multicultural world (Paul Gillespie), educating for a more caring, responsible, and responsive world (Kathleen Lynch), and the role of education as a pathway to human flourishing (Joseph Dunne).
Studies may be purchased through their new website, www.studies.ie.