Education

Madden was born in Ipswich

Ipswich

Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Her father was a carpenter and wood carver, and her mother was a nurse. She finished her schooling at St. Mary's College, Ipswich

St. Mary's College, Ipswich

St Mary's College is an Australian Catholic secondary school for girls, located in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.The school accepts girl students from year 8 to year 12, drawing from a wide area of Ipswich, Queensland. The total enrolment of the school is approximately 650 YTD.St Mary's College...

 and joined the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy

The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

.

She obtained a bachelor’s degree from Queensland, a masters in Education and Theology from the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, Canada, and a doctorate from Deakin University

Deakin University

Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...

, Australia. The subject of her PhD research was Australian women’s contribution to teacher education in Pakistan.

Life in Australia

For many years she taught at Catholic schools in Gympie

Gympie

Gympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...

, Toowoomba, Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

 and Stanthorpe in Australia. She has been a member of the board in colleges, youth programmes, theological associations and even a hospital.

She was Director of Religious Education for Toowoomba Catholic Education from 1981-88 and a member of the Brisbane Sisters of Mercy Leadership Team from 1988-93. In 1995 she was asked by the Sisters of Mercy to place her efforts at a teacher training institution in Pakistan.

In March 2011, the Queensland Catholic Education Commission honoured Sr Margaret by naming her 2011 ambassador for Catholic Education Week. She shared her story with students, teachers and parents across the State during Catholic Education Week from July 24-30, 2011.

Work in Pakistan

She has taught at the Notre Dame Institute of Education

Notre Dame Institute of Education

The Notre Dame Institute of Education in Karachi, is a teacher education facility in Pakistan.-History:NDIE opened in 1991 with 17 students in the Bachelor of Education programme. Average annual enrolments in the Bachelor of Education course are 55, with 30 in the Masters of Education...

 in Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 since 1995 and been Director since 2001. Karachi is a volatile environment where violence is commonplace and she was once trapped in traffic and had a gunman firing from under her vehicle. Despite this she has been working to deliver a teaching program to young men and women who can make a real difference to the country’s development.

She taught educational psychology and curriculum studies to the bachelors and masters levels as well as coordinating and designing the Masters in Education programme.

She has also served as a board member for the Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority, Teachers Resource Centre, Programme Office for Education, Board of Studies—Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Karachi

University of Karachi

The University of Karachi is a public university located in Karachi, Pakistan. It serves an on-campus student population of more than 24,000. According to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, it is ranked among the top three universities of the country...

, National Catholic Institute of Theology

National Catholic Institute of Theology

The National Catholic Institute of Theology was established in Karachi, Pakistan in September 1997. It offers academic courses leading to a diploma in theology, as well as programs for laypeople and Religious involved in Church ministries...

, and the National Catholic Education Commission.

She returned to Australia permanently in June 2011.