Following the successful launch of its Blueprint for Second-level Schools in June, Educate Together is visiting different parts of the country to present its plans for this new type of second-level school.
On 5th November it presented its plans to a well-attended public meeting in Galway Educate Together National School.
There has been interest in establishing an Educate Together second-level school in Galway for a number of years and local parents first contacted the Department of Education and Science 5 years ago.
Now that there are three highly successful and popular Educate Together primary schools established in the area (in Kilcolgan, Claregalway, and in Newcastle, Galway City), pressure is mounting for an Educate Together second-level school for pupils to go on to after 6th class.
It’s not just Eucate Together that suggests there is room for new thinking in second-level education. At a recent economic conference held at Farmleigh, Craig Barrett of Intel, among others, stated that Irish second-level schools were failing to equip students for the 21st century. Tom Boland of the Higher Education Authority recently said that students arrive in third-level institutions unprepared because they have been spoon-fed at second-level.
Paul Rowe, CEO of Educate Together also spoke at the event. He drew attention to the need to reform second-level education in Ireland so that young people are properly equipped for life in 21st century Ireland.
“Leaders from all sectors are increasingly expressing their dissatisfaction with our education system, which has changed little in the past forty years – even though the economic and social landscape has changed radically. Now, when we need to innovate our way to economic recovery, the time is right for Educate Together to be given the opportunity to make this important contribution to the second-level system”.
