First published 2016
In 1916, Ireland proclaimed equality of opportunity in education as a national objective. Fleming examines how this ambitious goal fared during the first eighty-five years of Irish independence from 1922 to 2007. His investigation reveals a persistent gap between official promises and actual outcomes. The author identifies critical flaws in how policies were developed and implemented. Irish governments repeatedly chose to protect established interests rather than champion the needs of students. They avoided creating strict evaluation systems that would measure educational progress transparently. Fleming argues that technical problems and institutional weaknesses cannot fully explain the shortfall. Instead, he points to a deeper issue: political leaders lacked the courage and commitment needed to transform Ireland's educational system. This study documents how noble aspirations collided with political reality across nearly nine decades of Irish governance.
Genres: history, 20th-century, education, 21st-century, academia, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary
Setting: Ireland
Period: 1922-2007
550 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform