Key takeaways
With a strong focus on leadership in education, the launch brought together the GEM report UNESCO, Irish principal and teacher unions, humanitarian and global citizenship NGOs, and youth voices for an inspiring and timely exchange about the latest global education data. It was a powerful day of dialogue and partnership. After contributions from Irish Aid, the Department of Education, the GEM Report, and a Youth leader, Bede Sheppard, Children’s Rights Director, Human Rights Watch guided an insightful panel discussion, with each speaker offering valuable perspectives and expertise:
- Frank McManus, Education Lead, Irish Aid: GEM Report’s Critical Role – Ireland’s partnership with the GEM Report is a critical part of its support for global education with the GEM report playing a “unique and essential role” in advancing education policy and providing essential evidence for SDG 4.
- Laura Watts, Principal Officer, Department of Education: School Leadership as Change-Makers – The GEM Report is an invaluable tool for providing a shared framework to guide action in education, particularly by recognising school leaders as changemakers. “School leaders are the interface between national policy and its realisation in schools.”
- Anna Cristina D’Addio, Chief of Education Policy, GEM Report: Key Findings of GEM Report – Strong school leadership is essential to improving education outcomes, with over a quarter of variation in student learning levels attributed to school leaders. The GEM Report identifies four essential leadership dimensions: set expectations, focus on learning, foster collaboration, and develop people.
- Aisling Maloney, Youth Advisory Panel, Plan International Ireland: Youth Leadership and Involvement – We must ensure that education systems are inclusive, well-resourced, and resilient. Youth involvement in education decision-making and leadership strengthens systems.
- Páiric Clerkin, CEO, Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN): Challenges for School Leaders – The sustainability of school leadership is under threat with school principals in Ireland rating the sustainability of their roles as low (3.4/10), as administrative demands pull principals away from teaching and learning, leading to high burnout rates.
- David O’Sullivan, Assistant General Secretary, INTO: Catch up on pre-service training and shared leadership & stand with principals in conflict zones – Investing in leadership preparation, including pre-service training and induction, as well as shared leadership is critical to sustaining effective school leadership and generate positive outcomes for school communities. Leaders in conflict zones, particularly Gaza, need our support and attention.
- Amy Folan, Senior Education Adviser, Concern Worldwide, and INEW Chairperson: Global education in crisis and under attack – Despite progress, deep inequalities in education persist globally, with 251 million out-of-school children, and an alarming rise in attacks on schools. Focus must be on quality education – “It’s not just about getting children into school—it’s about ensuring they are learning”.
- Ruairí McKiernan, CEO, Irish Development Education Association (IDEA): Global Citizenship and Education’s Broader Purpose – The power of Education must foster the development of the whole person, not just prepare students for the marketplace. “Education is the most powerful weapon (Nelson Mandela)… it’s about developing understanding of ourselves and cultivating a meaningful connection to the world”. We must stand united and work collectively as we navigate increasingly turbulent times.
Agenda:
10:00 Registration & Refreshments
10:30 Start of Event
- Welcome Remarks
- Opening Address & Launch: Frank McManus, Education Lead, Policy Unit of the Development Cooperation and Africa Division, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Special Address: Laura Watts, Principal Officer, School Leadership and Governance Renewal Project, Department of Education
- Presentation of the Key Findings and Recommendations of the 2024/5 GEM Report: Anna Cristina D’Addio, Chief of Education Policy, GEM Report, UNESCO
- Youth Leader Response: Aisling Maloney, Youth Advisory, Panel Plan International Ireland
- Panel Discussion: National and International Perspectives and Responses
- Panel Chair: Bede Sheppard, Director of Children’s Rights, Human Rights Watch
- Páiric Clerkin, CEO, Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN): Perspectives of Principals and School Leadership
- David O’Sullivan, Assistant General Secretary for Conditions of Employment and Leadership, Irish National Teacher Organisation (INTO): Perspectives of the Teaching Profession
- Amy Folan, Senior Education Adviser, Concern Worldwide and INEW Chairperson: Perspectives of the Development and Humanitarian Aid Sector
- Ruairí McKiernan, CEO, Irish Development Education Association (IDEA): Perspectives of the Development Education and Global Citizenship Education Sector
- Q&A Audience
- Closing Remarks
13:00-14:00 Networking Lunch & Refreshments
*Please note: GEM Report Director Manos Antoninis who was originally announced as a speaker on behalf of UNESCO, has had to withdraw unexpectedly and sends his regrets. We are grateful to Anna Christina D’Addio for stepping in to contribute to the event.
Take a closer look:
On 11th April, in partnership with the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, the Irish Network for Education Worldwide was pleased to host the Irish Launch of the 2024/5 GEM Report on leadership in education in Dublin.
The UNESCO is the UN agency dedicated to advancing education, science, culture, and communication. Education is central to UNESCO’s mission to build peace, eradicate poverty, and drive sustainable development. The GEM Report, hosted and published by UNESCO, provides crucial evidence and analysis to support policymaking and facilitate the sharing of good practice in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education. Irish Aid is a key funder of the GEM Report, which is supported by a group of governments, multilateral agencies, and private foundations.
The 2024/5 GEM Report focuses on Leadership in Education—a theme that resonates both within Ireland and in its global efforts to strengthen SDG 4. Education is a key pillar of Irish Overseas Assistance and a catalyst for achieving all Sustainable Development Goals. Leadership is at the heart of quality education, and we are delighted that the Irish launch of the GEM Report highlight its impact on learning outcomes, both nationally and internationally.
In Ireland, the report was officially launched by Frank Mc Manus of Irish Aid and featured a special address by Laura Watts of the Department of Education, a presentation of the report’s key findings by the GEM Report Chief of Education Policy, Anna Cristina D’Addio, a response of Youth Advocate Aisling Maloney, and a panel discussion with national and international experts sharing insights and lessons from the report.
Recognising the centrality of SDG 4 – ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all – in Irish foreign policy, Frank Mc Manus, Education Lead of the Policy Unit of the Development Cooperation and Africa Division at Irish Aid, officially launched the report in Ireland. He highlighted that Ireland’s partnership with the GEM Report is a critical part of its support for global education, describing the report’s role as “unique and essential.” He also emphasised that the findings show “progress is possible and is being achieved, although we all want to see it occurring faster and for gains to be more evenly distributed and shared.”
Laura Watts, Principal Officer with responsibility for School Leadership and the Governance Renewal Project at the Department of Education, gave a special address. She expressed her strong appreciation for the GEM Report as a tool that brings together key data and insights in one place, offering a shared language and framework to guide action. She stressed that “school leaders are the interface between national policy and its realisation in schools,” a message powerfully reflected in the report’s core finding that school leaders are changemakers.
Anna Cristina d’Addio, Chief of Education Policy at the GEM Report, presented the key findings of the 2024/25 report. She noted that while enrolment rates are rising, the number of out-of-school children is not falling remaining alarmingly high at 251 million—underscoring the urgent need for strong leadership in education. She also pointed to a concerning global decline in learning outcomes, a trend that began well before the COVID-19 pandemic and has persisted since 2012.
Drawing on the report’s data, she highlighted that over a quarter of variation in student learning levels can be attributed to school leaders—making their influence second only to teachers. The GEM Report identifies four essential dimensions of effective school leadership that need to be nurtured:
- Set expectations
- Focus on learning
- Foster collaboration
- Develop people
Aisling Maloney, a member of Plan International Ireland’s Youth Advisory Panel, delivered a thought-provoking speech calling on governments worldwide to ensure that education systems are inclusive, well-resourced, and resilient. She underscored the importance of involving children and young people in decision-making and leadership, urging that meaningful youth involvement can strengthen leadership in education.
Chairing the panel, Bede Sheppard, Director of Children’s Rights at Human Rights Watch, opened the discussion with a warm introduction of the panelists, before handing over to Páiric Clerkin, CEO of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN). Páiric welcomed the report’s recognition of school leadership as a key lever for education reform and a critical factor in improving outcomes for children. He shared that school principals in Ireland rated the sustainability of their roles at just 3.4 out of 10, with only a small number envisioning themselves still in the role in 10 years’ time. He strongly welcomed the report’s identification of the key challenges that are limiting the effectiveness of school leadership and threatening its long-term sustainability—challenges that align closely with the findings of the IPPN.
He stressed that principals are increasingly pulled away from their core focus—teaching and learning—as administrative demands are ever growing and workloads become unmanageable. Together with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), the IPPN revealed that rates of burnout and related conditions among Irish principals were double—or more than double— than those found in a healthy working population.
David O’Sullivan, Assistant General Secretary for Conditions of Employment and Leadership at the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), opened his remarks by acknowledging the GEM Report as a comprehensive, insightful, and thought-provoking contribution to the discourse on school leadership. He welcomed the report’s framing of school leaders as changemakers and underlined the importance of investing in leadership preparation—particularly pre-service and induction training, which is often overlooked in many countries.
He emphasised the value of shared and collaborative leadership models, and the positive outcomes they generate for school communities. David also drew attention to the grave realities faced by school leaders in conflict settings, noting with deep concern that more than 3,000 attacks on schools were recorded in 2022. He highlighted the devastating situation in Gaza, where, as of July 2024, 61% of schools had been directly hit.
Amy Folan, Senior Education Adviser at Concern Worldwide and Chairperson of INEW—herself a former teacher—provided a global perspective on the current state of education. While acknowledging progress in some areas, such as 110 million more children now in school and rising completion rates, she emphasised that inequalities are deepening. The figure of 251 million out-of-school children, she noted, remains deeply alarming. Amy highlighted concerning trends from recent reports, including a rise in attacks on education—now estimated at 6,000 per year—affecting tens of thousands of children and teachers annually. She also stressed the growing number of children whose education is being disrupted, particularly due to the climate crisis.
Underscoring the importance of quality, Amy welcomed the GEM Report’s focus on learning outcomes, noting that many children are not reaching foundational benchmarks in reading, writing, or numeracy. “It’s not just about getting children into school—it’s about ensuring they are actually learning,” she said. She urged the audience to consider the implications of a rapidly growing youth population, with 1.3 billion adolescents—representing 16% of the global population—of whom nearly 90% live in low- and middle-income countries where education success and quality remains limited. Finally, she called for greater focus on the intersection of education and climate. She concluded by expressing her hope that the disparities highlighted in the GEM Report would serve “not just as food for thought, but as fuel for action.”
Ruairí McKiernan, CEO of the Irish Development Education Association (IDEA), invited the audience to reflect on their own educational journeys—whether they helped them find their voice, feel globally connected, and truly engage with the world and with themselves. Quoting Nelson Mandela’s famous words, “Education is the most powerful weapon,” he underscored the deep interconnectedness of all the Sustainable Development Goals, including education and climate. He highlighted the role of global citizenship education in awakening our awareness, amplifying our voices, and sparking both passion and constructive dialogue. Education, he emphasised, is not just about preparing for the marketplace—it is about developing the whole person, fostering understanding of ourselves, and cultivating a meaningful connection to the world around us.
He highlighted the GEM Report’s powerful call to reflect on leadership and how power is distributed—an urgent and relevant consideration across all areas of our lives and the world today and called on everyone to stand united and work collectively as we navigate increasingly turbulent times.
It was a true honour to bring together the diverse members and partners of INEW and to highlight the crucial findings of the GEM Report through the lens of their varied specialised knowledge and distinct areas of expertise, allowing us to explore a wide range of perspectives on the GEM Report and current education issues, both nationally and globally. Our sincere thanks to all speakers and contributors—and to our engaged and patient audience—for your dedication and interest.
You can learn more about the report on the UNESCO’s GEM report page here.
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