Home can hold key to early learning

PARENTS of young children with limited access to pre-school facilities should be encouraged to use the home as a place of learning, according to a third-level head.

Professor Joyce O’Connor, president of the National College of Ireland (NCI), said many disadvantaged areas don’t have the resources to support pre-schools.

“The State isn’t going to be able to provide for everything in education but areas which don’t have this kind of education support should be prioritised,” she said.

Prof O’Connor hopes a scheme being run by NCI could provide an example for other areas.

The Family Learning Programme will involve 10 north inner city families in Dublin being trained in teaching basic numeracy, communication and literacy skills to their children before they begin primary school.

“We want to show how everyday activities can be used as part of their early education experience, rather than thinking that learning only happens in school or college,” she said.

The NCI Community Education Initiative, which has received 174,000 from the AIB Better Ireland Programme, was launched by Government Chief Whip Mary Hanafin yesterday. The initiative also includes a programme to help disadvantaged students move from primary to second level. It plans to work with pupils, parents and teachers to motivate an interest in education and help them complete second level.

“Similar programmes have shown that the right intervention can help people go on to third level and even postgraduate studies,” Prof O’Connor said.