A bursary scheme to allow students from Zambia to undertake postgraduate research and study in the area of HIV and Aids has been initiated in the name of a noted Irish Jesuit.
The €300,000 bursary honours a Jesuit priest, Fr Michael Kelly, who has been working among the poor in Zambia since 1955. He is now a Zambian citizen.
In the past decade, he has dedicated his life to the battle against HIV/Aids in Zambia.
Launching the bursary, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said Fr Kelly had been a consistent advocate at national and international levels about the importance of HIV prevention and the role of education in that context.
"He has consistently pointed out that education is the most effective 'social vaccine' against the spread of the disease and that education in its own right helps prevent infection," she said.
The Minister was speaking at the close of a five-day mission to Zambia where she has seen at first hand the devastating impact of HIV/Aids.
The Minister also visited schools and teacher-training colleges.
Ireland contributes €22 million in aid to Zambia annually, of which about €8 million targets education projects.
Yesterday, the Minister and her Zambian counterpart, Prof Geoffrey Lungwangwa, agreed to a programme of enhanced co-operation in the area of teacher training. The Minister was accompanied on her mission by Dr Pauric Travers, president of St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin, who represented all five training colleges in the Republic.
Ms Hanafin added that during her visit she had seen some of the challenges faced by the education system in Zambia, particularly at primary level.
"This is not an unfamiliar situation. Not so long ago Ireland faced many of these same difficulties and we are now in a position to share some of the knowledge and expertise gained in overcoming these challenges."
The two ministers have agreed a new measure to be developed and implemented in a partnership between the teacher education colleges in Ireland and Zambia to strengthen the quality of teacher education.
This programme will operate with the support of the Department of Education and Science in Ireland, Irish Aid and the ministry of education in Zambia. It was agreed that detailed preparations would commence immediately and it is planned that the programme will be operational in the next academic year.
Welcoming the continued support from the Irish people, Prof Lungwangwa said that the relationship between Zambia and Ireland goes back to the pre-Zambian independence period when Irish missionaries established both churches and schools.
• Seán Flynn will be reporting in detail on the Minister's visit in Tuesday's education pages.
