Education
In 2006, two new schools were established,
- Gaelscoil na Lochanna (School of the Lakes) was founded to cater for those in Blessington and the surrounding area who wished to educate their children primarily through the Irish language. The school was sited initially on the grounds of the Community Education Centre, with a plan to move to a green field site on the Kilmalum road in 2009.
- Educate Together established a new national school in the town, founded on the site of a long standing school and benefitting from a large sports field.
These new schools supplement the existing primary schools in the town: Saint Mary's National School, and the Number One school (Church of Ireland). A new building has been built across the road from the original Saint Mary's school, in order to alleviate overcrowding and the Number One school moved into a new building in 2008.
There is also a Community College on the Naas Road, which currently has an enrolment of over 300 students with growing numbers predicted in the immediate future.
A new library was also opened at the end of 2006 on the first floor of the new town centre building, above the anchor tenant, Dunnes Stores.
Read more about this topic: Blessington
Famous quotes containing the word education:
“It’s fairly obvious that American education is a cultural flop. Americans are not a well-educated people culturally, and their vocational education often has to be learned all over again after they leave school and college. On the other hand, they have open quick minds and if their education has little sharp positive value, it has not the stultifying effects of a more rigid training.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“The most general deficiency in our sort of culture and education is gradually dawning on me: no one learns, no one strives towards, no one teaches—enduring loneliness.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept, everything they are offered.”
—Jean Piaget (1896–1980)