The education system North and South has a long way to go in fostering the creative spirit of schoolchildren, the Duchess of Abercorn said yesterday.
The education system tended to emphasise "mechanical" skills, rather than letting children explore their imaginations, she said during a visit to St Andrew's College, Booters town, Co Dublin, where she listened to first- and second-year pupils read their poems. Some of the students are planning to enter the annual literature competition the duchess founded, the Pushkin Prizes.
Unlike her visit to St Mary's primary school in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone, this month, which some members of Sinn Fein opposed, the duchess was warmly received in the school by staff and pupils.
In the Pomeroy case, the Northern Ireland minister of education at the time, Mr Martin McGuinness, had to intervene after a local Sinn Fein councillor, Mr Finbar Conway, objected to a visit by "British royalty", even though the duchess is not a member of the royal family. She is married to a member of the nobility, James Hamilton, the fifth Duke of Abercorn.
Speaking at St Andrew's the duchess, a descendant of the Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin, said she was constantly impressed by the depth of the writing submitted for the prizes, which are open to schools on both sides of the Border.
The originality and honesty of the children's work, from schools like St Andrew's, kept amazing her. "I think if children can allow their feelings out, it will put an end to all the destructive energy which can result in violence and bombing, which we have seen for far too long," she said.
Ms Hilda Quinn, an English teacher at St Andrew's, said the pupils were delighted to meet the duchess and took great pride in reading their writings to her. The subjects addressed ranged from "Is God a female?" to "A visit to the dentist", she explained.
The duchess said schools like St Andrew's were prepared to harness the creative imaginations of their students, and this would stand to them later in life.
"Employers want students who have a flexibility of mind, who can get around problems and look at things from different perspectives," she said.