View: The Social Of Irish Examiner Interaction Importance

Irish Examiner view: The importance of social interaction — His Opinions, Express Who To Feelings Flawed Those In On This Personal Their Be Just Are Matter Judgement His Picture: Express Are Homeschooling Find Is He While Niall Perfectly Too Entitled To Judgement Those To That, Mr Free Own Carson/pa Martin’s And

Tue, 21 Mar, 2023 - 02:05

There is, as the old saying has it, more than one way to skin a cat, and while Tánaiste Micheál Martin’s view on the benefits or otherwise of home schooling will resonate with many, equally, they seem to have struck a raw nerve with others.

Essentially, Mr Martin’s personal feelings on the matter are just that — his own. And while he is perfectly entitled to express those opinions, those who find his judgement to be flawed in this matter are free to express their judgement too.

Undoubtedly shaped by his tenure as minister for education between 1997 and 2000, his view is that a school education highlights the importance of socialisation among young people with classmates and fellow students as a whole.

That is a fair opinion and one which deserves respect, but it is also one which has upset a growing number of those who feel that — for one reason or another — the modern education system does not sit well with those of differing beliefs, those who simply don’t trust the system to educate their children the way they would like, or those who, for logistical reasons, cannot send their children to regular schools.

Mr Martin’s comments should be read as a broadly based opinion on the necessity of social intercourse for young people whose future lives are often shaped in the social melting pot that schools represent, aside altogether from their educational purpose.

Home schooling is a necessary and vital tool for some parents and their children, but it has to be mixed with an appropriate level of social interaction that is necessary for a broader, all-inclusive society.

Irish Examiner view: The banks have always had it both ways