REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE DUN LAOGHAIRE ADULT ENGLISH SCHEME CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE DUN LAOGHAIRE ADULT ENGLISH SCHEME CENTRE MONDAY 30 NOVEMBER 1998
I am delighted to be with you this afternoon for this landmark occasion in the life of the Adult English Scheme here in Dun Laoghaire – after 20 years of operation from the home of Liz Dalton. I very grateful to Liz for giving me this opportunity to be associated in this way with the work that you have been doing over these two decades – work which must have meant tremendous personal sacrifices in terms of time and resources. So by my presence I want to acknowledge what you have been doing - with the 60 voluntary tutors and the 8 paid tutors who are equally committed to your mission of promoting adult literacy – and opening up new horizons and opportunities for people who very often, through absolutely no fault of their own, find that their options are cut off or limited because of a lack of literacy skills.
I know that the centre involved linking up with others who could provide the necessary material support that was needed – and I want to commend the Southside Partnership, Dun Laoghaire Vocational Education Committee and the Holy Child Community School in Sallynoggin for joining with you in this very successful alliance to bring the best of facilities and services to the 85 students whom you serve.
Earlier I had the pleasure of launching the research report of Traveller Education for the Southside Partnership – and I commended the Partnership on how, through a process of inclusion of all sections of the community, they were playing a vital role in promoting greater tolerance and acceptability of different cultures with their own unique set of difficulties to overcome. Through their support for this new centre, they have demonstrated again how a community-based organisation can work for the benefit of everybody – how it can promote a concept of “community” that cherishes everyone equally.
For many of us, particularly, those of us who have been away from formal education for a long time – or who had a troubled time during those important years – education can be intimidating – can put us off – can conjure up images of tests and exams – of degrees or diplomas – and all the pressure that that brings with it. But education has different forms – there is a type of learning and education to suit everybody. It is possible to learn without having to sit an exam to prove it.
It can be so easy for people to find themselves with a literacy problem – but it is important to remember that it is never too late to redress the situation and to start reaping the rewards that literacy education can bring. Over the past twenty years, the Adult English Scheme has been of tremendous benefit to many people. It is particularly important at this time of prosperity and progress – of rapid change and technological development – that people are given the opportunities to move with the times so that they can meet the challenges that life presents in such a fast moving world. It is so easy for people to get left behind – to be left outside – and to become gradually excluded from participation in the social, economic and cultural life of their community and of society in general. Even in the simple things like helping a child with their homework – or accessing the whole range of statutory services which they will need to do throughout their lives – literacy inadequacy can mean that they can become quickly marginalised.
Perhaps most importantly for everyone in society, their skills and talents can also be hidden – and society deprived of their valuable contribution. As this country basks in our recent economic successes, it is more important now than ever before that we must ensure that nobody is left behind – either through educational disadvantage or social circumstance. The real wealth of our country is our people. Exclusion ultimately means that we are all impoverished. So it is in all our interests that literacy skills are imparted to everyone – regardless of age or circumstance. This is particularly so today, where the concept of life-long learning is now a feature of life in the fast-moving world of today.
Indeed, it is a reflection of the growing information society that we live in, that the new centre has been equipped with a “fleet” of computers – and that the centre can now offer computer classes in addition to English, thanks to the generosity of local business interests. I want to commend them on their generosity – which is a very tangible example of the links that exist between business and the community – of how they can support each other for the benefit of society. The availability of computer courses adds an important new dimension to what you are doing – and should considerably enhance the quality of education that you can provide.
In opening the new centre, I want to thank you again for inviting me to be with you today – and I want to wish everybody who has put their faith in the centre – whether as a tutor or a student – continued success in your very valuable work.