Sir, - Your Education and Living supplement of September 14th carried an article about the Aontas exhibition, and we quote from the second paragraph which referred to courses "extending from the Arts, Science, IT and languages on the one side to health, childcare, self-development and crafts on the other."
Will it ever get into the heads of the education establishment that crafts are not to be lumped in with fringe and leisure activities? Craft industry represents a considerable portion of the economy and it does not help recruitment into this industry when it is continually presented as a sideline hobby. Because of the attitude of the education industry, the school curriculum does not include a proper grounding for entrance into craft industry, causing a shortage of skills such as, cabinet-making, glassmaking, baking, you name it.
Education seems totally preoccupied with preparing students to be able to work for others. This attitude has created an ethos that regards self-employed craftwork as something second class. It is only by chance that some of the best craftspeople in the country have gone into their craft, but not by chances that they have become so proficient and dedicated to it. Their calibre belies the common belief that only the educationally lacking are suitable to do craft-related work, a belief that was reinforced by the old vocational school system.
It is about time that the education industry and its Government regulators did something to redress this attitude. - Yours, etc.,
Prof Stephen R. V. Baty, (Dialpainter), Registrar, Crafts Commission; Ken Kelly, (Goldsmith, Glassmaker,) Commission Member, Tinahely, Co Wicklow.