The Muslim Primary Education Board is the management support body and Patron’s representative body for MuslimNational Schools in Ireland. The Board also represents the views of Muslims on educational policy decisions both at government and non- governmental organisations.
The MPEB provide a Garda Vetting service for the two Muslim National Schools and for other designated Muslim schools and educational organisations.
During the 2018 period the MPEB represented the two Muslim National Schools and Muslim educational interests and policies in a number of meetings and forums, including:
• Primary School Vaccination Programme (Dept Education and Skills/ HSE)
• CSL Professional Leadership in Schools (Centre for School Leadership)
• Child Protection Training (Diocesan Education Secretariat)
• Board of Management Training Steering Committee ( Dept. Education and Skills)
• Post Primary HPV Vaccine Program Update (HSE/Dept. of Education and Skills)
• HPV Vaccine in Schools Campaign Launch Phases 1 and 2 (HSE/Dept. of Education and Skills)
• Data Protection Preparation for GDPR (Dept. of Education and Skills)
• Stakeholder Update Re Section 5, Fitness to Teach (Teaching Council)
• Oversight of Child Protection Procedures (Dept. of Education and Skills)
• Financial Support Services Unit , Advisory Committee (Financial Support Services Unit, Dept Education and Skills)
• Teaching Council Member Induction ( Teaching Council)
• Teaching Council Meetings, Primary Management Representative (Teaching Council)
• Primary Management Boards Update Meetings ( Primary Management Boards)
• Mentor Training ( Centre for School Leadership)
• ‘Enriching the Irish Educational System’ Seminar (New Communities Partnership)
• Development of Cosán, Stakeholder Update ( Teaching Council)
• Pay Modernisation ( Financial Support Services Unit, Dept. Education and Skills)
• Education Committee Meetings , Teaching Council (Teaching Council)
• Registration Committee Meetings and Review Panels (Teaching Council)
• Cosán Working Group Teaching Council
• Educational Stakeholder Discussion on National Digital Strategy (Dept of Education and skills)
• Briefing on Handling Child Centred Complaints (Office of Ombudsman for Children)
• Working Group for Communication and Promotion of Teaching as a Profession, Teacher Supply, Primary Management Representative (Dept of Education and Skills/ Teaching Council)
• Child Protection Oversight Inspection Consultation (Dept. Education and Skills)
• Teaching Council, Better Boards Training (Teaching Council)
• Higher Options RDS, Teacher Supply (Dept. Education and Skills/ Teaching Council)
• Grad Ireland RDS, Teacher Supply (Dept of Education/Teaching Council)
• Governance Review Working Group, Primary Governance Manual 2019/2022 (Dept of Education and Skills)
• ‘Denominational Education in Secular Society’ Seminar (Church of Ireland Board of Education)
• Legal Training for Oral Hearings ( La Touche/ Teaching Council)
• Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice,Consultative Forum ( Dept. of Education and Skills)
• Professional Learning for School leaders, Collaborative Forum ( Centre for School Leaders)
• The National Literacy and Numeracy Forum (Dept of Education and Skills)
• NCSE Consultation on Special Schools and Classes ( National Council for Special Education)
• ‘Moving in the Right Direction, Child Refugee Symposia’ (Children’s Rights Alliance)
• Bilateral Consultation on RSE Review (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment)
• RSE Stakeholder Review (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment)
• Teacher Allocation Planning (Dept of Education and Skills)
• SNA Allocation Model, Delivery for Students with SEN needs. (Dept of Education and Skills)
• Teacher Supply Stakeholder Action Plan Briefing (Dept of Education and Skills)
• Primary Management Forum, Strategic Planning (Dept of Education and Skills)
• Primary Management Forum, Bilateral Meeting (Dept of Education and Skills)
The MPEB liaises and works with other primary education management bodies in both the denominational and non denominational education sectors. It receives all Dept. of Education and Skills new and draft circulars and educational updates and shares circulars and information with schools. The MPEB attends regular meetings with other educational management bodies to share and discuss current educational, trends, issues and training modules.
In 2018, for the first time, a member of the MPEB was appointed to the Teaching Council of Ireland. The Teaching Council is a statutory body which promotes and regulates professional standards in the teaching profession, members are appointed by the Minister of Education and Skills and the term of office is four years. The MPEB represents not only Muslim interests on the Teaching Council but also represents other Primary Management bodies. This is the first time aMuslim organisation has been nominated to the Teaching Council and has afforded the Board the opportunity toincrease its input and profile in the mainstream Irish educational sector.
Through regular meetings, Board members have worked with the School Governance Section of the Department of Education to support the development of the North Dublin Muslim National School and have also provided experienced members of interview panels in order to fill mainstream posts.
The MPEB have, in conjunction with CPSMA and the Diocesan Education Board, arranged training for school Management. Further modules will be offered in the coming school year, especially in light of the upcoming renewal and elections of primary school Boards of Management in Nov. 2019.
The MPEB strives to strengthen the links between the two Muslim National Schools and provide a social opportunity for both management bodies to meet.
The MPEB have attended and contributed to meetings with regard to the development of a number of strategies and policies within the Department of Education.
• The MPEB is a member of the Primary Management Forum recently established by the Department of Education and Skills. The Forum hopes to facilitate the exchange of information for all stakeholders, support planning and sequencing of changes, advise on development of dissemination and communication of information to schools and to see how supports could be used to best effect.
• Board members have contributed to the development of the Financial Services Support Unit for Primary Sector and continue to work with the unit to support schools.
• In line with the introduction of the Children First, Child Protection Act, by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Board members have contributed to consultation on the development of Child Protection Oversight Inspection Guidelines for schools.
• The Board represents Primary Management bodies on the Dept. of Education and Skills, Teacher Supply,Communication Working Group. This working group hopes to increase teacher supply and promote teaching as a profession.
• The Board is part of the Dept of Education and Skills working group currently reviewing and updating the Governance Manual for National Schools for 2019/2022, in time for new Boards of Management in 2019.
The Board continues to develop its website www.muslimeducation.ie Information is available for children, parents and teachers, with a section for school news, education updates and links to other useful sites. The Board intends to further develop the website over the coming year.
The Board can be contacted at info@muslimeducation.ie .
News and educational updates can also be found on the Muslim Primary Education Board facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MuslimPrimaryEducationBoard/
The Muslim Primary Education Board hopes that through its work and capacity building in the field of education, to represent the views of Muslims in policies and legislation at national level, better support and advise the management bodies of the Muslim National Schools and give a voice to Muslims within the educational sector.
You can download the full report here.
