Gold star for Batt until his Boss-like blunder
Tuesday November 17 2009
THE Taoiseach may have had a big bit of good news to impart to the nation when he arrived at St Joseph's school in Terenure yesterday morning, but he still didn't look too delighted when he turned a corner into a narrow corridor to find a sizeable mob of na buachailli agus cailini dana of the press lying in wait.
"Right, we may as well get this over with," he sighed to Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe with the unhappy air of a gossoon facing into a morning of double maths.
But there are worse ways for a Taoiseach to kick off the week than with an announcement about a major government investment of €150m to put computers in every Irish classroom in the next three years.
"It's a very important announcement," declared Brian Cowen.
"The whole question of information and communications technology in schools is a huge investment that has to be made, regardless of our economic circumstances."
The Taoiseach was clearly proud of the financial juggling-act his government has executed to scrape together the necessary loot for this project, and he visibly bristled when asked if it had now taken priority over providing new school buildings in which to house the shiny new computers.
"That's not true," he replied forcefully.
"Four thousand schools in this country have received improvements and refurbishment or new build. There has been a revolution in the level of investment in our schools programme and rightly so, because in the past in far more difficult times we were unable to provide practically any capital investment."
Brian was then whisked off to a classroom filled with staff and young pupils from the school for the formal announcement, and he could only have been gratified by the level of attention and approbation he received.
For a start, it must've been a pleasant change for both Brian and Batt to be handed verbal gold stars by a member of the teaching profession, which has been more inclined to administer six of the best to the Government of late.
School principal Matt Hume warmly welcomed the initiative.
"I've absolutely no doubt that there'll be shouts of joy in every national school in Ireland at this announcement," he reckoned.
"The workers of tomorrow are in the classrooms of today. We salute it and applaud you for that, Taoiseach," he added, as Brian looked bashfully at the floor.
And then Brian got to repeat all the satisfying figures all over again. A total of €150m to be spent over the next three years. And €22m handed over by the end of this year. "This, I hope, serves to demonstrate that the Government not only see this as a vision thing, but this is something that must happen in practical terms," he said earnestly, although 'vision things' aren't really his thing.
Batt got up to speak -- and promptly had a Bruce Springsteen moment.
The American rocker hit the headlines this week when he bounced onto a stage in Detroit, Michigan, roaring "Hello Ohio!"
The Education Minister began his address by remarking: "St Michael's was chosen for a very special reason, and that is the proficiency in ICT." Around the room, several teachers gritted their teeth and subdued their natural impulses to correct him, minister or not.
But then he did it again. "I just want to say good morning to the young people who have turned up, and it's lovely to see you here in St Michael's," he said benignly. It was all too much for the muinteoiri and a strangled chorus of hissed "St Joseph's" wafted towards Batt, who hastily corrected himself.
Even the two front rows of small boys behaved themselves impeccably, and were impressively quiet during the speeches -- in fact, they were more attentive than the Taoiseach's own front bench during Leader's Questions. And afterwards, two of the pupils presented Brian and Batt with presents of hurleys.
"You never know, Taoiseach -- it might be useful for you at the cabinet table," joked Matt Hume, as Brian eyed it thoughtfully.
Before he left, he dropped in on a couple of classes -- junior infants and fifth class -- to see the computers in action. In the first room he hunkered down with a gaggle of excited moppets who showed him all sorts of things beginning with the letter 'H', including a helicopter.
But Brian didn't click on it, perhaps for fear he was on eBay and found himself inadvertently making the day of his Defence Minister Willie O'Dea.
He then popped upstairs to the second classroom of older boys, and when he re-appeared, he found the buachailli agus cailini dana still on the premises.
He had been most impressed with them, he informed the media pack.
"They listened attentively and even put up their hands," he smiled pointedly.
The press might behave like that some day too. Probably when the Taoiseach puts computers on the moon.
- Lise Hand
Irish Independent
