Pressure on education centres

THE DEVELOPMENT of teacher centres is barely keeping pace with increased in service needs. There are now 25 centres around the State, nine with full time directors, but new curricula and programmes are pushing the existing centres to their limits, according to one source.

The teacher centres - which the White Paper renames as education centres - provide an opportunity and meeting place for primary and post primary teachers to discuss issues relating to their work. They also act as resource centres and provide in service courses. The first centres were set up in 1973.

Some disquiet has been expressed about the change of title and the implied broadening of their role. The White Paper states that the "education centres" will provide a focus for development programmes for teachers, parents and boards of management, and these centres will come under the authority of the regional education boards. Concern has also been expressed that the present local management committees, elected annually by local teachers, may have a smaller role in the future.

However, it is not all bad news. The present part time centres are likely to be upgraded to full time status, and there should be an average of two full time teacher centres for each regional education board area. Further developments include the construction of a new centre in Blackrock, Dublin, and the purchase of a site for the proposed new centre in Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim. Negotiations for the purchase of a site in Portlaoise, Co Laois, are ongoing, according to the Department of Education. In total, 17 new centres are proposed.

Padraig Griffin, director of the centre in Carrick on Shannon - one of the original centres set up in 1972 is sanguine. "Our policy is to provide good, cost effective in service programmes in accordance with current Department of Education policies and regulations and to make maximum use of whatever facilities we may have at any time," he says.

As well as providing in service and third level courses, the centre is supporting the Transition Year and expects to play a "strong supportive role in the organisation of the new RSE programme shortly coming out".