Remarks by President McAleese at 'Children: Their Lives, Their Learning' Conference, Marino Institute of Education, Dublin 9, 4th May 2011 [president.ie]
- Published: 04 May 2011
Dia dhíbh a chairde, tá an-áthas orm a bheith in bhúr láthair inniu ag an gcomhdháil speisialta seo: 'Children, their lives, their learning'. Is ábhar fiorthábhachtach é ó thaobh leasa agus todhchaí ár bpáistí agus sochaí na hÉireann de. I'd like to thank Dr. Anne O'Gara, President of Marino Institute of Education and Dr. Anne Looney, Chief Executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for their kind invitation to address you today.
My grandmother who had eleven children and sixty grand children used to remark "what's learnt in childhood is engraved on stone." I didn't get the full import of her words until a tiny misspelling on my grandfather's granite headstone led to a conversation with the stone mason as to whether it could be easily corrected. He said "no" the only way the problem could be corrected was to take the faulty headstone down and put up a new one. Those of us who are the engravers on the unwitting lives of innocent children do not get that option. We get one go around - one chance to get it right so that we engrave well, scrupulously, carefully and leave an imprint that does not skew a lift or blight a life long after childhood has passed. It is a solemn responsibility, a sacred trust and it is right that at a conference like this we should reflect on those precious, all-important childhood years and ask in particular what primary education must bring to their lives.
It's an important time in our country's educational history for debates are afoot which have the capacity to radically change the structure and the experience of primary education.
Those who are the engravers on childrens' lives need to be deeply implicated in those debates to ensure that primary education which is the very bedrock of our educational system is customized to the needs of our children. Five hundred years ago Erasmus observed that the main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth. It was true then and it is true now.
Full Story: www.president.ie
