ANYONE INTERESTED in sitting the Gregg shorthand teacher's diploma, a uniquely Irish qualification, has still time to enter for the national examination.
Gregg shorthand, which was first published in 1888, is, today, the most widely used system of shorthand. John Robert Gregg, inventor of Gregg shorthand, was an Irishman, born in Co Monaghan, where his father was a station-master. An Irish edition of Gregg shorthand was published some years ago.
The Gregg shorthand teachers' diploma is a valuable asset recognised by the Department of Education as a teaching qualification, according to Gus O'Kennedy, secretary of the national examination committee for the Gregg Shorthand Teacher's diploma. County councils, corporations and vocational education committees demand it for clerk/typist appointments.
"At a different level it is a valuable asset for court stenographers, for journalists and, indeed, for anyone who wishes frequently to take a note of items of interest from the radio or television," O'Kennedy adds. It is also a useful extra qualification for teachers seeking entry into higher diploma in education courses.
"If a student can write shorthand well, verbatim notes can be taken of lectures and any competent writer can study from these notes - thus obviating the tedium of copying pages of lengthy lectures into longhand.
The qualifying examination will be held in Dublin on the Saturday, May 18th. Further details may be obtained from the secretary, Gregg Shorthand Diploma, 11 Ard na Veigh, Sligo (tel: (071) 60406).
