Sir, – I wish to respond to "Graduates 'not well-equipped' for future workplace" (Business, February 25th), especially the comments relating to second-level schools.
If it is truly the case that the second-level education system is struggling to keep up with the needs of the working world, it may be that other far more pressing needs take priority. The work of secondary schools is multilayered; it obviously involves the education of young people in various subject areas – science, technology, languages, and mathematics, to name a few. Parallel to this is what is often referred to as the “hidden curriculum”, where much learning, growth and personal development of students takes place, and importantly where students achieve success and a sense of fulfilment – co-curricular activities such as robotics, participation in sports teams, coding, drama and music productions give a sense of the life-giving nature of our schools.
Furthermore, it is without doubt the mission of second-level education to value all of our students as unique individuals, that their lives matter and that their value is never confined to the grades they get or the work they will go on to do.
Rather than focus on what it is employers want from our education system, it might be better to ask what is best for Irish society?
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Work is but one albeit important aspect of adult life, and it is surely incumbent on our education system to encourage and develop to the fullest those young people who will create art, literature, poetry and drama, ironically all areas where work and employment are precarious.
Today, amid many demands and agendas secondary schools face from outside forces, we can all lose sight of the fact that at the heart of the educational endeavour lies the core objective of encouraging all our students to flourish.
In that way we are educating for life – not just for work. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN O’HARA,
Chaplain,
Ballincollig,
Co Cork.