The History and Evolution of Education in Northern Ireland

The history of education in Northern Ireland is inextricably linked to its antecedents in the education system in Ireland until the island was partitioned into two autonomous regions (Northern Ireland or ‘the North of Ireland’ and the Republic of Ireland) following the Government of Ireland Act in 1920. The most important development in Ireland’s education system can be traced to 1831 when an initiative by Lord Stanley (the Chief Secretary for Ireland at that time) led to the creation of national schools intended to be non-denominational (but not secular) in their constituency, resulting in longer term harmonious societal relations. Stanley’s vision was reflected in the National Education Board which comprised a mix of seven commissioners from the Anglican, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches. Core school curriculum subjects were taught together except for religious education or instruction which was offered separately and outside school hours. Each of the three main churches moved to adapt the national school system towards their own ends, described by Ó Buachalla (1988: 22) as a system which was ‘undenominational in theory but denominational in practice’. The opposition to national schools from the churches, according to Irvine (2014: 1), was based on the argument that education was ‘an extension of pastoral care and, as such, cannot be separated from religion’.