This article is from page 32 of the 2008-09-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
A PROGRAMME aimed at improv- ing the skills of young drivers that began in Ennis has now been extend- ed to 140 schools around Ireland
Ennis man Kieran O’Brien estab- lished the Irish School of Excellence, which he piloted two years ago in St Flannans’ College.
Now, through an ongoing exten- sion of the programme, students in schools from Letterkenny to Bray, are being made aware of the impor- tance of safe driving.
O’Brien explained that the aim of the programme has always been to ensure that when drivers take to the road, they are fully qualified to do
so, and are aware of their responsi- YUH CoE
He said, “Some schools invite a lo- cal driving instructor to come and take their students in large groups and let them drive the car around. This is the type of driver education that we at the Irish School of Excel- lence condemn as it is like handing a gun to somebody and without giving any education in safety and common sense will tell you that this is danger- Othe
All participating students receive a certificate of achievement on com- pletion of the driver education pro- eae NONDONOR
Only after students become fully aware of the rules of the road are
they allowed to sit into a car with a fully qualified driving instructor, ex- plained O’Brien.
‘The Irish school of excellence pro- gramme format is educational and safety orientated and only after the students pass their theory test and a driver education test regarding insur- ance, penalty points and much more, only then do they get to take their lessons with a fully approved driving instructor”’.
Over the next six weeks, O’Brien has been given seven in-service train- ing days to teach up to 150 teachers how to run the programme.
This is the first time that a driver education programme has been so fully embraced by schools in Ire-
land.
O’Brien hopes that with more and more schools coming on board, the programme will eventually receive backing from the Department of Education.
During the summer months the programme was given to youthreach ovcescae-besveslenw-NUMe(o) mAs eO NINA A
Developed voluntary in 2005, the Irish School of Excellence has grown from one school to 140 schools na- tionwide with Toyota among the high profile companies lending their sup- port.