Sir, – With regard to "Transition year – a waste of time?" (Letters, October 13th), nothing could be further from the truth.
Transition year is full of opportunity for our students and allows for great personal development on the part of our young people.
In the many initiatives, social outreach and awareness campaigns that our transition year students engage in, they in fact breathe new life and infectious enthusiasm into our school communities each academic year.
They have the time and space from the traditional curriculum to enter ground-breaking projects for the BT Young Scientist competition each year, devoting many hours of research, planning and preparation.
In many schools, transition year students wow audiences with hugely talented and technical performances of musical productions worthy of any stage. Many a star has been born during these formative days.
Schools have great flexibility to create a transition year programme that is diverse, engaging and stimulating that allows students to grow through the year.
The President’s award, known as Gaisce, is another valuable experience for many transition year students. Gaisce in Irish translates as achievement – and that is the real benefit.
Through participating in transition year, many students exceed their own expectations, mature, and gain an appreciation for the varied ways in which one can learn. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN O’HARA,
Chaplain,
Ballincollig,
Cork.