I was helpfully tipped off in recent days by a friend working in education to a revealing article posted on social media, which highlights the central role a charity with an activistic background – to put it mildly – is playing in the highly influential National Convention on Education.
I suspect a great many parents would be surprised to know that a group involved in the historic convention – never mind facilitating it – is staffed by people who’ve variously been involved in a so-called ‘Sex Work’ organisation; selling merchandise bearing the slogans ‘Trans Love’, ‘Ask Me Gee’ and ‘Refugees Welcome’; and abortion rights campaigning, among other things.
Given the importance of the convention, one would think they ought to know.
To give credit where it’s due, Peter Donnelly (@PetersReceipts) noted the fact that Quality Matters Ltd. was awarded a contract by the Department of Education and Youth this month for “Discussion Facilitation and Note Taking Services for [the] Convention on Education” which is currently ongoing.
The contract is worth an estimated €250,000, but undoubtedly of more value still is the central role in the organisation of the convention, the influence of which for Irish education cannot be overstated. As the convention’s own webpage reads, the Convention on Education “is a once in a generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come”.
The convention is chaired by Professor Anne Looney of Dublin City University, and involves 150 people across four groups: Children and young people (30 people); Parents and guardians (30 people); School employees and early years educators (30 people); Education stakeholders (60 people).
They’ve already had their first of four weekend meetings (March 21-22), with three more to come over the course of the year (May 9-10; September 26-27; and November 14-15).
And now we know that Quality Matters is going to be helping out with bringing it all together. So what is it, and who’s involved?
“Quality Matters are a not-for-profit working with organisations across Ireland to improve social service provision,” the charity’s webpage reads.
“Our mission is to support the joint ambition of state funders, not-for-profits, charities and social enterprises to create high quality evidence-based services for marginalised communities and the individuals within them.”
Quality Matters lists a plethora of Government bodies, third level institutions,charities and NGOs among its clients, including but not limited to Educate Together; Tusla; Belong To; the HSE; the LGBT helpline; the Irish Council for Civil Liberties; and the Humanist Association of Ireland. To the list can obviously be added the Department of Education, which is currently availing of Quality Matters’ expertise.
According to the website, Quality Matters was co-founded by current CEO Caroline Gardner and Aoife Dermody, both of whom are very well experienced in, and integrated into, the Irish non-profit space.
Both women established and run ‘We Make Good’ Ireland, a producer that “promotes equality, sustainable production, and Social Enterprise as a way of doing business that is good for people and the planet” and has received funding from a variety of State and non-State grants, including from social enterprise accelerator, Rethink Ireland.
Among the products available in the We Make Good store are badges and t-shirts bearing slogans such as ‘Trans Love’, ‘Ask Me Gee’ and ‘Refugees Welcome’.
Caroline Gardner is credited in an archived article for Offset magazine (credit again to Peter Donnelly for that find) with founding the now-defunct ‘Sex Workers Alliance of Ireland’, on whose website a Caroline Gardner is given a special “thank you” underneath its history section.
Meanwhile, Aoife Dermody’s LinkedIn showcases her experience on Ireland’s abortion campaign scene, having acted as a ‘Working Group Member’ for ‘Parents Together for Yes’ from 2015 to 2018 and as co-founder and co-convenor of the Abortion Rights Campaign from 2012-2019.
Her LinkedIn also lists experience as the company director of the Irish Family Planning Association for two years from 2012 to 2014.
Ms Dermody’s ‘about’ section, after covering her interests and experience, ends with the lines “Also a founder and driver of political campaigns and activist initiatives, traditional singer and musician, neurodivergent, queer, parent. Saoirse don Phalaistín. Free Palestine. End colonialism. Smash transphobia”.
As per Quality Matters own social media posting history (and public record), it has previously facilitated Citizens’ Assemblies and engaged in political activism, including an ‘Our Flag’ campaign, which it described as “a movement to reclaim the Irish flag from messages of fear and division”.
The board is made up of Professor Anthony Staines (of Zero Covid fame), Dr Catherine Bates, Pat Carey, Dr Des Crowley and Paul McKinney.
The point of this exercise is to demonstrate that an organisation at the heart of facilitating one of the most important educational exercises the State engages is headed up by staff professing beliefs and taking public stances that many of the nation’s parents (and no doubt, education stakeholders) find deeply objectionable.
While that is not necessarily a disqualifying characteristic (many of the things outlined throughout the article are already included in school curricula in various ways, not least as a result of the ever-expanding anti-bullying strategy), it is at least something to be aware of. And thus far, it has received no mention.