Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) service will host leading international equality expert Professor Kathleen Lynch at an event organised for its staff tomorrow.

Kathleen has a deep and long-standing commitment to the understanding and promotion of equality and social justice both locally and globally.

To that end she has been actively engaged in research and policy development with both statutory and non-governmental organisations committed to equality over the last twenty years.

She is a member of the board of a number of non-governmental organisations and has served on a number of government-appointed bodies with an equality.

Prof Kathleen Lynch

Her teaching areas are Feminist Theory, Education and the Reproduction of Inequality and Equality Studies Seminars. Her research areas include equality in education emancipatory research, the role of the university in social change and theoretical issues in equality studies.

Professor Lynch, described by the Irish Times as “a doughty fighter, an influential voice and an Irish academic with an international reputation”, believes that the, “purpose of scholarship and research is not just to understand the world but to change it for the good of all humanity.”

She was instrumental in setting up the UCD Equality Studies Centre in 1990 and the UCD School of Social Justice in 2005. Outside of UCD she has worked over many years with non-governmental organisations and statutory bodies, both nationally and internationally, to challenge inequalities and promote social justice.

Professor Lynch will speak on Friday about challenging inequality in education, looking at ways of addressing various types of disadvantage, both from within and outside the system.

Cróna Gallagher, Director of FET, Donegal ETB, stated, “We are delighted that Professor Lynch is coming to Donegal to share her expertise with over 100 of our FET staff.

“The FET sector in Ireland has gone through, and is still undergoing, massive change following the disbanding of FÁS in 2013 and the merging of their functions with the VEC’s adult education sector to become Further Education and Training Services under the policy and funding direction of the then newly established SOLAS.

“We are bringing our staff together on Friday to review the ETB’s service and to plan for the coming year, with a view to improving our offering to the public in Donegal.

“Professor Kathleen Lynch will give us a valuable context for our discussions and will help us to frame our planning with the aim of providing a fair and equitable service for FET learners in the county.”

Donegal ETB is the largest provider of Further Education and Training (FET) in Co. Donegal, with almost 12,000 learners completing courses in more than 120 venues in 2016.

Anne McHugh, Donegal ETB Chief Executive, remarked, “I am very pleased that Professor Lynch is able to take time out of her busy research schedule to meet with our FET staff on Friday and to provide our staff with time to reflect on the FET service that we provide in the county.”

Further updates on Friday’s event can be found on Donegal ETB’s Twitter account (@DonegalETB).