The greatest benefit of a newly-introduced qualification for teachers is an increased sense of confidence to self-identify as Catholic in the classroom and in the staffroom, according to its first graduates.
It comes at a time when many Catholic teachers have been voicing concern that it is becoming difficult to express one’s faith and exercise leadership rooted in Christian values even in faith-based schools under Catholic patronage.
Some 150 teachers have graduated from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick with Master’s degrees in in Christian Leadership in Education since 2012. Last year, the college’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies responded to a request from teachers and from trust bodies for a shorter introductory programme and last Thursday 34 teachers, primary and second level, were the first to graduate with the new Graduate Certificate in Christian Leadership in Education.
Management
This new programme is specifically designed to equip teachers in supporting the development of the Catholic ethos within their schools. It builds on existing qualifications participants may have achieved in areas of leadership and management, so that they have the knowledge, competence and confidence needed to lead a faith-based school in a pluralist educational context. The programme is offered on an outreach basis to make participation easy.
This year’s graduates availed of the programme at centres in Tralee and Tuam. Currently it is being offered in Mount St Anne’s, Killenard, with further venues being planned in the near future.
At the conferring another nine teachers graduated with an MA in Christian Leadership in Education and a further three with graduate diplomas, making Mary Immaculate’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies the largest provider of teachers specifically trained for school management and leadership in the faith-based sector in the country.