A project for a common curriculum module on North-South relations and young people's issues is to be developed between three secondary schools in Co Down and three in Co Cork. The module is being devised, under the auspices of Co-operation North, by the South East Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland and Co Cork VEC. It has been under discussion for the past nine months and was formalised by officials and teachers from the two areas last month.
The two bodies plan an eight-week curriculum module covering North-South relations, community relations, the two education systems, the local economies of the two counties and issues of concern to young people.
The module will be taught to students in the six schools before they go on cross-border exchanges. The first school to undertake it will probably be Colaiste Eoin in Youghal, which in March is due to visit Priory College, an integrated school in Holywood, and the Patrician Youth Centre, Downpatrick.
The other schools involved are Schull Community College and Clonakilty Community College, which are linked respectively with St Colmcille's High School in Crossgar (and Downpatrick Youth Office), and two schools in Lisburn and Twinbrook, Laurel Hill High School and St Colm's High School.
The SEELB's principal youth officer, Mr Jimmy Peel, said they wanted to "get beyond the young people just visiting each other and having a nice time to something of more lasting benefit". He hoped the course would not only be of use to the students going on exchanges but would also provide a basis for all transition year students and their Northern equivalents to learn about life in the other jurisdiction.
Co-operation North also sees this project as a potential model with wider applications for North-South school co-operation. One of the organisation's most active areas has been school exchanges and around 3,500 children a year from 185 schools have been involved in these, with Southern transition year students being particularly involved in recent years.
"Now we are reducing the number of schools we work with directly," said Co-operation North's chief executive, Mr Tony Kennedy. "A lot of schools are keeping up the contact themselves and we don't need to stimulate the interaction directly any more. We believe instead that we can give better added value by targeting policy-makers - like those in the SEELB and Cork - and particular schools where there is little knowledge of the other jurisdiction."
Mr Kennedy said Co-operation North also hoped to work more with teacher unions, particularly the primary teachers' union, the INTO, an all-Ireland union which has been enthusiastic about cross-border exchanges.
The organisation would also be more "proactive" in expanding its Youth Managers Forum, which brings together professional youth workers North and South.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Republic's and Northern Ireland's curriculum councils earlier this month decided on closer consultation on citizenship education in primary and secondary schools.