Troubles, transformation and tension: Education policy, religious segregation and initial teacher education in Northern Ireland

Abstract

It is now over 20 years since the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the ending ofconflict or the ‘troubles’, as the conflict is referred to in Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, as a postconflict society Northern Ireland remains deeply divided in social, cultural and religious terms. Thisdivision is reflected, if not sustained, by the continued segregated nature of the structures andinstitutions of education, including those related to initial teacher education. This article adopts acritical policy analysis, drawing on primary source survey data, to understand, explore and reflect onthe nature and existence of these divisions. Further, in reflecting on the Belfast (Good Friday)Agreement as a consociational settlement, the article considers the inherent tension of a peaceprocess built on the very religious ethno-national divisions, including those pertaining to education,it is ultimately seeking to integrate. The article concludes that any desired systemic change andinculcation of values associated with the building of harmony, tolerance and mutual respect, asreflected for example in student teacher competences, is discursively emasculated by policy andpractice still largely based on religious ethno-national division and segregation.