Comments on: Stupid workers are Ireland’s stupid future, unless we change

By: David Mc Williams

David Mc Williams — Mon, 29 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks for your comments. Billy we will be dealig with the
dietary isues on Agenda on Jan 11th so tune in TV3 at 12
noon, David

By: Seaghan Moriarty

Seaghan Moriarty — Wed, 03 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Many valid points, David, but I see the societal context as
being more weighty and agree with most of John’s points …

One thing we do agree on is the need for pupils to stay in
school longer. Yes, a community-centred approach is crucial
and yes “This means we are condemning ourselves to a
serious social problem in a few years’ time” but your quote
should be seen as a circular one and could just as easily
read ‘This (ie social problem) means we are condemning
ourselves to a serious educational problem in a few years’
time.

Another point – why should pupils NOT “give education the
two fingers at 14″? The outdated curriculum at second level
does not respond to their interests and needs! Child-
centred? No way – most of it is still as academic, force-
fed, memory-driven and regurgitative as it was 20 years ago

We’re now living in a knowledge-driven society, where
qualifications should refer to being comfortable with
technology, able to work in groups, able to problem-solve,
able to adapt and cope with change … Where’s the
education system to nourish and support this!?

Primary schools do a great job in this area, especially in
the development of the ‘whole child’. Regarding ICT
(Information and Communications Technologies), about 20% of
teachers use ICT/internet as an educational resource
regularly – the rest have lost interest due to inadequate
funding, professional development etc. and I suspect that
this figure is lower in secondary schools which will never
take the leap unless you assign university points for such
things as being comfortable with technology, able to work
in groups, able to problem-solve etc.

So overall – while I liked you article, IMHO the two
broader contexts of society and educational reform are
really where it’s at.

By: John Hayes

John Hayes — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Once again you have raised a very valid point that
highlights the lack of strategic social planning by this or
any other government that I can remember.
But the core question is still unanswered; how do you
instill middle class values in a child if their parents and
more importantly their peer group takes the short-term view
that you describe so well in your article?
The problem is social as well as economic.
Money can only fix so much; you only have to look at the
health service to see that.
We do have to properly resource our social services but
when parents don�t care it is stupid to blame government.
I agree completely when you say that it is the first few
years that count, a friend of mine who is a social worker
says that by the time a child is five their course is set.
Parents outside the children�s court saying that their
twelve year old is out of control should be asked where
they were when their little Jonnie was five or six. Was he
at school? Did he behave for his teacher? What time was he
in bed? Did he eat a balanced diet?
Violent and abusive parents, nearly always the men, and the
lack of any real social morals for so many kids means that
they have a huge hurdle to get over before they can aspire
to middle class educational values.
I also completely agree with your point on free third
level, is was a Labor party sop to buy middle class votes
and a boon to the cobble lock and conservatory industries.
All the civil servants and other middle- income people,
like me, who could afford, with a bit of planning, to send
their kids to third level suddenly had cash to do up the
gaff or buy another one to rent out, pushing up property
prices and further excluding the people at the bottom who
free third level fees meant nothing to in the first place!
Well done to the D4 socialists, they do look after their
constituents.

By: Billy Waters

Billy Waters — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

I agree that eduaction is important. But it isn’t the fags
that are the root of the problem. Its the food they had
for breakfast. The food they will have for lunch and the
food they had for dinner last night.

How are they supposed to learn if their diet is in
tatters. Irish people live on junk food. The stranglehold
the meat and dairy companies have on the Irish diet and in
particular the less well off is a scandal. The less well
off you are the more likely that you are going to have a
higher percentage of your diet coming from dairy and meat
products.

The over consumption of dairy food has been proven to lead
to lead directly to behavioural problems and increase the
students inability to concentrate at school. I can back
this up.

Look at the kids breakfast. IF they have any at all.
Empty calories, sugar and dairy products. Dairy is the
government sponsored junk food. We should be encouraging
kids to eat fruit and cut back on the dairy muck. It might
sen the farmers’ daughter to UCD but it is a state
sponsored blight on the inner cities and the less well
educated and the less well off.

We need rational debate about our orgiastic diet before its
too late.

Billy Waters.