Eina McHugh: Director,the Ark cultural centre

"The arts are hugely important in education because they can help connect a child to the pleasure of learning, the wonder of exploring the external and internal world, the sense of being alive, of making one's own individual impact, the power of giving self-expression a form.

"For me, this is very much about the development of the whole person, the modern-day concept of education as being linked to broader holistic concepts, such as the development of multiple intelligences, the realisation that strengthening the capacity for imagination and creativity is fundamental ground for the promotion of wellbeing, the formation of a strong 'self'."

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times