Quality education 'will bring us through crisis' [Irish Examiner]
- Published: 06 March 2009
Source: Irish Examiner
by Niall Murray
THE promotion of teacher quality through pay and training can help Ireland rebound, the chairman of the National Competitiveness Council said yesterday.
Don Thornhill, a former Department of Education secretary general and former chairman of the Higher Education Authority, said although reform is never easy, it is essential all educators maintain high levels of commitment.
"Our ability to take maximum advantage of the eventual upswing in the global economy will be enhanced if we can continue to raise the quality of education," he said.
Mr Thornhill told an event organised by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) that Government policy should make attention to teacher quality vital at all levels.
"Excellent teachers guide student learning, and not just pure content delivery, they stimulate a spirit of enquiry and a desire to learn more," he said.
He said the Government can make teaching a prestigious profession by ensuring good pay and conditions, attracting the best people into the job and ensuring effective teacher selection, education and training. He said continuous professional development and improvement, and responsiveness to parents and students, were also hugely important.
The conference was organised to highlight the importance of education in Ireland's recovery.
