Pupils honoured for projects on poorer countries
Prizes were presented to 21 groups of pupils from primary schools from all over the country, including northern Ireland, at an awards ceremony sponsored by Irish Aid, the State’s overseas development agency, and supported by the Irish Examiner.
The overall winners were Birdhill National School, Killaloe, Co Tipperary in the Junior Category (3rd and 4th classes) and St Clare’s Primary School, Harold’s Cross, Dublin in the Senior Category (5th and 6th classes) which were chosen from over 2,100 entries representing the work of some 12,000 pupils.
The aim of the competition, which is in its second year, is to encourage children to explore the complex issues that hinder developing countries, including poverty, disease, inadequate provision of education, gender inequality, lack of human rights protection and environmental damage.
In particular, contestants were asked to focus on the Millennium Development Goals agreed by international treaty in the year 2000 which set out challenging targets for improvements in all these crucial areas by the year 2015.
Classes were assisted with background information materials from Irish Aid but had to show they had conducted their own research, understood the issues involved and appreciated the developments taking place with the assistance of ordinary people like their own taxpaying parents whose contributions fund Ireland’s development projects.
They had a choice of using the medium of art, print or audio-visual presentations to display their work and entries ranged from newspaper-style publications to sculptures, radio interviews and video documentaries.
Presenting the awards, Minister of State for Irish Aid and Human Rights, Conor Lenihan, said everyone had a part to play in helping to improve conditions in developing countries.
Full details of the competition and ceremony will be carried in a commemorative supplement in the Irish Examiner next Tuesday, March 6.
