ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT AT THE OPENING OF THE 19TH ANNUAL DUN LAOGHAIRE ADULT EDUCATION EXHIBITION
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT, MARY MCALEESE, AT THE OPENING OF THE 19TH ANNUAL DUN LAOGHAIRE ADULT EDUCATION EXHIBITION AT COUNTY HALL
A Chathaoirligh, ladies and gentlemen,
I shall start by thanking Dun Laoghaire Vocational Education Committee, and its Adult Education Board, for inviting me to open the 19th Annual Dun Laoghaire Adult Education Exhibition, which will run from 3 to 5 September. I am very happy to be here with you today, in Ireland’s oldest town, during Dun Laoghaire 1500.
I note that the exhibition has a number of stated objectives, which are all focused on increasing public participation in the local Adult and Community Education service. This is a tendency to be encouraged. The wealth of information that is available here to the public will surely persuade many of those visiting the exhibition to consider joining Adult Education classes, if they have not done so already.
I wish to commend Dun Laoghaire VEC for the wide range of Adult Education activities supported by it. These activities include, among others, community development, serving the educational requirements of people with disabilities, the Literacy and Basic Education Scheme and the organisation of a wide variety of courses. The large numbers participating in these activities reflect the success of the VEC to date in promoting Adult Education in the area. One out of every six adults in Dun Laoghaire now participates in some form of Adult Education.
Adult Education was never more important than it is today. We are living in a time of rapid change, in which it is necessary for adults to engage in a Lifelong Learning process. Adults need to continuously update their knowledge and skills in order to cope with everyday living in the home and the workplace.
National and international authorities have acknowledged the central role of education and training in the development of economic and social well-being in modern society.
Adult and Continuing Education plays a major role in equipping people for life. It can contribute very effectively to personal development and the enjoyment of what the world has to offer. It is a wonderfully liberating experience in that it reveals previously undetected competencies and interests. It enables individuals to play a more effective part in their local communities and society in general.
In this era rapid social, technological, and economic change, the crucial importance of Lifelong Learning cannot be overemphasised. The challenge placed before society as a whole is to respond to, and benefit from, the new education and training horizons that are opening up. The process of Lifelong Learning provides the individual with an opportunity to build on knowledge acquired at school, or at work, or through the media, and advance the process of personal development and change.
Learning throughout life contributes in a vital way, not just to the individual, but also to the families and communities to which individuals belong. As part of the Lifelong Learning continue, adult education is the key to building self-confidence, uncovering hidden potential, acquiring skills and qualifications and developing critical reflection. There is nowadays a full realisation of the importance of the quality of human resources. I expect that, in future, increased education and skill levels will become an even greater mechanism for improved income and for social mobility.
I am very much aware of the vital contribution that Adult Education providers, both statutory and voluntary, have made to individual development and community empowerment in a wide range of settings. One of my many roles is that of patron of the National Adult Literacy Agency. In that capacity, I have become aware of the heavy reliance of volunteer tutors in the Adult Literacy and Community Education Scheme administered by the VECs. They have proved themselves to be enthusiastic and reliable and are indispensable to the provision of a personalised service which is particularly sensitive to the needs of each individual student. The volunteer tutors are a cherished feature of the system.
Recent developments in the area of Adult Education have afforded the opportunity to thousands of people to come back into education. Opportunities for the adult learner have never been better. The number and variety of courses available is growing all the time. Everybody should be able to find something of interest or of use to him or her. The scale of this exhibition clearly demonstrates the level of interest there is in the district in Adult Education, and is also a reflection of the effort put in by the VEC in organising it.
In conclusion, it gives me great pleasure to declare this exhibition officially open.
I wish you every success over the next week.