REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT TEMPLEMICHAEL COLLEGE LONGFORD MONDAY 8TH MAY 2000
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT TEMPLEMICHAEL COLLEGE LONGFORD MONDAY 8TH MAY 2000
Is cúis mhór áthais dom bheith i bhur measc inniu. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Bord Bainistíochta as an chuireadh a tugadh dom bheith anseo.
It is a great pleasure for me to join you here this afternoon in Templemichael College. I have looked forward to visiting your school and I thank you for the warm welcome you have given me.
I hope that all the students here today enjoy their time at Templemichael College. I know that some of you will have your minds on other matters – no, not holidays, but the June Examinations! For some of you this may be the last time you will sit formal examinations and you will be entering the permanent labour market for the first time. Others will go on to further education. Whichever path you choose, you are starting on a journey, which has the capacity to take you to unforeseen destinations. I hope you will take with you the knowledge that education is not just a process of accumulating factual information – and it’s not just about maximising results. No young person’s worth can ever be measured in points. Education is to do with developing and enabling young people like yourselves to discover your own talents, to build confidence and to blossom.
The projects that I have viewed are concrete examples of the talent of this College’s students and I would like to congratulate the students and staff on their creative work. I also understand that I am to receive the millennium copy of the school magazine with its very appropriate title ‘Rising Sound 2000” – perhaps some of you may be the television and news reporters of tomorrow!
This school is fortunate to have so many good teachers on its staff who set the school’s underlying philosophy - a philosophy of self-belief, self respect and concern for each other. This philosophy manifests itself in the willingness of the College to embrace diversity – the diversity of talents and abilities, of backgrounds and traditions.
The reality in today’s world is that a good education is the best investment for life. It is clear that Templemichael College believes that a worthwhile education experience can only be realised through partnership. There are three elements to this partnership, the first is the school management and teaching staff who have the vision and commitment to take bold decisions and to do what’s best for those in their care – then there are the parents, who provide the vital home learning environment and lastly the students themselves who will respond to that interest and encouragement repaying, the investment a hundredfold.
The wide range of programmes available here in both technical and academic education places a strong emphasis on enterprise education in keeping with the needs of the 21st Century. We are a people who respect education. We have invested heavily in education over the past thirty years and we are now seeing that investment bear fruit – a highly educated and articulate young population – including the people here today. It is thanks to the superb work of local schools and colleges, such as Templemichael College, that young people are encouraged to achieve high standards and to acquire new skills. In today’s world, a person’s working life is part of an ever changing life long learning experience. It is a great advantage to have completed your second level education as it is an essential building block in the process of lifelong learning. Many of your parents did not have that opportunity. I’m sure some of your friends have been lured by the excitement and the financial reward of work. The danger is that they don’t realise that a good education is the best guarantee of future choices and opportunity. Ask any of the many adults who are returning to education in their droves, not just here in Templemichael but in every other school in the country. They want to complete or to further their education so that they can provide a brighter future for themselves and their families.
This College is more than just a school, it is a community resource that has widened its horizons and availed of every opportunity to develop the school so that it can respond to the wider community’s needs. For many people whose talents might have been squandered because education, first time round, did not work for them, adult education really does provide a ‘second chance’ – an opportunity to unlock their potential and create opportunities, to prove to themselves, to their families, and to their community how much they are capable of achieving. Enormous credit is due to Templemichael College for the initiative, the insight and the imagination with which they serve this community.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Principal, Ann Heffron, the Deputy Principal Hugh Campbell, Eamon Tynan Chairman of the school’s Board of management and all of the teachers and staff for their exceptional dedication and hard work. I wish all of you well and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to be the first official visitor to sign your visitor book bearing the name of Templemichael College.
Go raibh maith agaibh go leir.