Horse-centred education will soon be available to children in the capital. In Dublin's Cherry Orchard on Friday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will turn the first sod on the site of a new Equine Education and Training Centre.
Plans for the £3 million centre include stabling for 24 horses, indoor and outdoor arenas and paddocks, classrooms to teach IT, Junior and Leaving Certs and a range of VEC courses and a kitchen for catering classes. The local community which has lobbied for years for the establishment of such a centre. According to Niamh O'Keeffe, its new chief executive, the aim of the project is to enable young people from the area to acquire life and employment skills through the care and control of horses. Programmes will be targeted at early school-leavers.
Some £2.35 million has been secured for the venture via the Department of Agriculture while Dublin Corporation has rezoned almost 12 acres of land in Cherry Orchard for the centre and committed a further £0.55 million towards the capital costs. Cherry Orchard, which is located in Ballyfermot, comprises four large corporation housing estates. Few of its young people continue on in education and the area suffers from high rates of unemployment.
"The initiative involves a fresh approach to the education of young people in Cherry Orchard, understanding the cultural interests of the community," O'Keeffe says. Initially the mostly short and modular programmes will focus on students aged between 15 and 18 years. O'Keeffe also hopes to work with local schools to provide a system where pupils who have been suspended can embark on courses at the centre. Building should be completed by next summer.
Clarification: With reference to last week's EL article on history, Professor Dermot Keogh of UCC has asked us to point out that he is not a member of the history syllabus committee established by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
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