The first purpose-built education centre for teachers outside Dublin will be formally opened this afternoon by the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, in Portlaoise, Co Laois.
The primary purpose of education centres is to provide in-service training for teachers in their own region. The first such centre was opened some years ago in Blackrock, Co Dublin.
The director of the Portlaoise centre, Tony Mahon, said during the week that there was great pride in the area that a permanent location had been found for the centre.
"We have had an education centre for teachers from Laois and Offaly for the past 10 years but in a way we have been homeless, moving from location to location," he said.
"We started off in a prefab at the vocational school in Portlaoise but now we have this purpose-built building on Block Road, we are extremely happy."
Mr Mahon explained that the centre had built on and developed the philosophy of teachers supporting each other for the development of education in the area.
Over the years, he said, the centre had entered into partnerships with other groups, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
"Compiling our annual report last year, we found that a total of 1,196 teachers had attended courses and seminars organised by the Laois Teachers' Centre."
He said that at local level the centre had worked with Laois County Council, the Midland Health Board, Laois Enterprise Board, and the LEADER 11 group.
At regional level there was co-operation with teachers' centres in Athlone and Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, on the Midland Heath Board Schools Project and the Inter-generational Project.
The centre had also worked with the Tipperary LEADER group on enterprise in schools and with the transition year support team.
"We have also been involved with Trinity College and University College Dublin and with the Department of Education on the Leaving Cert revised syllabus," he said. "Basically, the better equipped we are as teachers, the more we can teach. We buy in a lot of expertise and arrange a whole series of courses and equip our teachers for the work they have to do," he said.
Mr Mahon said that the building, which will cost over £500,000, had been built with funds from the Department of Education and EU European Social Funding.
The Laois centre can be contacted at 0502-61170 or Fax 050261137.