On Tuesday, Sligo Education Center will commemorate its 50th anniversary with a special assembly of faculty and staff.
The previous fifty years have been full of successes, development, and the steadfast dedication of numerous committed teachers and staff members.
A study group of Sligo teachers was established in 1971 following the introduction of the new primary curriculum. Padraig Foran served as the group’s cathaoirleach, while Pat Hurley served as the group secretary.
The new curriculum would require assistance from the instructors, therefore the Department of Education was looking for ways to make it happen.
The study group was approached by the Divisional Inspector with the proposal to establish a Teachers’ Center in Sligo.
The first general assembly was held on January 11, 1972. Following this conference, many buildings were proposed; the old Quay Street vocational school was ultimately selected, and the Town of Sligo VEC was contacted regarding the usage of rooms.
Two sizable rooms were made available for a center in exchange for a small fee. The rooms included a sizable lecture hall furnished with cozy chairs.
An ink copier, spirit duplicator, slide projector, and tables and chairs were arranged in the second room, which served as a workspace.
The Sligo Teachers Centre was operational, and the initial management committee was comprised of post-primary teachers and the original study group.
Every evening between 8 and 10 p.m., teachers volunteer to open the center. An audio-visual course offered by the Communications Center in Booterstown was the first significant course to be arranged.
To facilitate the implementation of the child-centered curriculum, the center established a lending library of filmstrips and slides for use by schools.
BBC educational programs were recorded, and in order to duplicate the programs, a tape copier machine was bought. After school, oilteoirí were utilized to present presentations on various curricular topics.
When the new Regional Technical College opened its doors in 1970, the lecturers’ knowledge was put to use, and a summer course on “Plant and Animal Life” was created.
Due to Sligo’s abundance of historical places, a series of summer courses dubbed “Sligo and its Surroundings” with an emphasis on local history and archaeology were decided to be held in the 1980s.
These included lectures, field visits, and helpful printed notes about the subject. Sligo Field Club, An Cumann Gaelach, and a Film Society were granted access to the center’s facilities as part of the ongoing effort to strengthen linkages with neighborhood organizations.
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