74 Exploring ESD at Hibernia College

Patricia Nunan outlined Hibernia College’s multi-layered approach to embedding Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) throughout the Professional Master of Education (PME) Post-Primary. Rooted in the Teaching Council’s Céim standards, which designate GCE as one of seven core elements for Initial Teacher Education, the programme now treats GCE/ESD not as an add-on but as a curriculum lens through which teaching, learning, and professional identity are viewed.

Ms Nunan traced the programme’s journey from early, once-off awareness-raising events—such as a whole-college GCE Awareness Week—to more meaningful structural embedding in programme learning outcomes, module design, assessment, and school placement supports. Long-standing collaboration with the Ubuntu Network has been central, providing funding, professional development, and a community of practice that continually challenges the programme to deepen its integration of GCE.

Recent developments include a dedicated elective in Education for Sustainable Development; redesign of programme outcomes to foreground sustainability, inclusion, and global justice; structured lesson-planning workshops where student teachers embed GCE within subject methodologies; and the creation of video exemplars demonstrating authentic classroom practice. Ms Nunan emphasised that sustained impact requires coherent messaging, cross-faculty collaboration, and consistent modelling by lecturers and tutors. The programme now aims to build further exemplars, expand partnerships, and continue developing school-based CPD to support cooperating teachers as co-educators in the GCE/ESD space.

About the author

name: Patricia Nunan

institution: Hibernia College

Patricia Nunan is the Director of the PME Post-Primary at Hibernia College.