Pictured L-R: Eucharia McCarthy, Director Curriculum Development Unit, MIC; Dr Ann Higgins, EDNIP founder; Prof. Dermot Nestor, President of MIC; Dr Lilian Nwanze- Akobo, Assistant Professor, Department of Adult and Community Education at Maynooth University; Dr Ruth Bourke, Coordinator of the Transforming Education through Dialogue (TED) Project at MIC; Lisa Martin, EDNIP Project Leader at MIC; Rita Oyibo, Parent, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School; Tracie Tobin, Principal, St. Michael’s Infant School; and Peter Jennings, Principal, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) hosted a special seminar on Tuesday, 4 November, bringing together over 60 teachers, principals, and education support representatives to explore inclusion and the integration of migrant families in Irish primary schools.
The event marked eight years of the Embracing Diversity Nurturing Integration Project (EDNIP), a long-standing partnership between MIC and five Limerick primary schools—CBS Primary School, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Presentation Primary School, St John’s Girls’ and Infant Boys’ School, and St Michael’s Infant School.
EDNIP aims to reduce isolation and promote the inclusion of socially excluded migrants, ensuring that all families can participate fully in Irish society and benefit equitably from the education system.
Speaking of the work of EDNIP, Dr Lilian Nwanze-Akobo, Co- Director, Higher Diploma in Further Education and Co-Director, Turn to Teaching Project, Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth University, who gave the keynote address stated:
"As a migrant woman and educator, my work on inclusion, anti-racist pedagogies, and anti-oppressive approaches to education is not just an academic pursuit - it’s a necessity. It’s personal. I am often invited to speak at panels and conferences, and each time, I go with the hope and prayer that my words will make a difference. Sometimes they do. Many times, they don’t. But yesterday was different. For the first time in a long while, I attended an academic seminar that moved me to tears. The EDNIP seminar gave me something I hadn’t felt in a while: hope. Hope for my children. Hope for Ireland."
Professor Dermot Nestor, President of MIC, welcomed attendees to the College and officially launched the evaluation report on Phase 2 of EDNIP (2021-2024):
“EDNIP highlights the power of partnership, and the role education plays in building inclusive communities. What this project has achieved over the past eight years goes far beyond the classroom—it has fostered understanding, empathy, and connection among families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It is a model of how schools, supported by higher education, can lead meaningful social change, ensuring that every child and family feels seen, supported, and valued.”
Dr Ruth Bourke, Coordinator of the Transforming Education through Dialogue (TED) Project at MIC, and Lisa Martin, EDNIP Project Leader at MIC, presented findings from the evaluation. Their research revealed that the project has significantly enhanced children’s sense of belonging in school, strengthened friendships, and fostered cultural pride. Children reported valuing opportunities to use and celebrate their home languages and cultural heritage within school settings.
Project activities such as intercultural days, STEAM clubs, sports coaching, and family trips provided enjoyable learning opportunities and facilitated greater social integration. The research also noted increased confidence amongst teachers in addressing diversity and inclusion within their classrooms.
Dr Bourke reflected on the project’s continuing impact, saying:
“EDNIP has had a significant impact on the five schools involved to date. It has helped students and parents from migrant backgrounds to feel a greater sense of belonging in the school community, it has had a positive impact on home-school relationships and helped children and parents from different nationalities, cultures, and religions who speak different languages to get to know each other and develop relationships. As one parent told us in the research, ‘We come to know each other by being together.”
Reflecting on the seminar, Lisa Martin added:
“The seminar was a wonderful opportunity to share the learning from and good practice of EDNIP and its partner schools with a wider audience. It was a hopeful and engaging event that presented a clear vision for what inclusion in schools can achieve.”
