MARY Immaculate College’s MEd in Leadership of Wellbeing in Education (MEdLWE) has received endorsement from the Centre for School Leadership (CSL) in recognition of the programme’s innovation and relevance to the current Irish Education policy and practice.
The unique two-year part-time Level 9 programme, which was launched by MIC in 2019, aims to provide graduates with the enhanced leadership and management skills required to promote wellbeing in education settings. It focuses on empowering participants to understand and adapt their roles in fostering the wellbeing of students, colleagues and the wider school community. This focus resonates strongly with the moral imperative of school leadership outlined by the CSL, namely the improvement of learning outcomes and wellbeing for students and school communities.
Now in its third year, the MEdLWE programme has been gaining momentum in terms of profile and participation and was recently commended by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris as he marked the celebration of the first graduating class from the programme. According to Minister Harris: “This is the only programme of its type in this country and it is my hope that more Higher Education Institutes will follow suit and will incorporate wellbeing into their education”.
Welcoming the CSL’s endorsement of the programme was the Dean of Education at MIC, Professor Emer Ring, who said: “The M Ed in Leadership of Wellbeing in Education has enchanced the profile of MIC, particularly in the context of promoting wellbeing. Wellbeing has been a key strategic goal for us over the years and is evident in our Healthy Campus initiatives, our engagement with the Active School Flag and Smarter Travel, our commitment to Global Citizenship Education and Sustainability and our focus on wellbeing in the Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme. The MEdLWE is another example of our work in the area of wellbeing and I would like to acknowledge Dr Carol O’Sullivan’s innovative and pioneering work in establishing the programme.”
In its endorsement of the programme, the CSL commended the structure, organisation and design of the programme and the innovative and creative approach to teaching, learning and assessment. It also commended the incremental nature of the programme and the clear links with national policy on leadership development in the context of wellbeing.
