We are bottom of the class [Independent.ie]
- Published: 08 September 2010
THE Government failed to invest sufficiently in education during the boom years and is now paying the price.
A report shows that we are near the bottom of an international league table for spending on education, and near the top for large classes. It also shows that Irish primary-school pupils spend a lot more time on religion and less on PE and science than in other countries.
In 2007, Ireland came 30th of 33 countries in terms of spending; only Italy and the Czech and Slovak Republics spent a lower percentage of their gross domestic product (GDP) on education that year. The average spend was 5.7pc of GDP but Ireland invested only 4.7pc, according to the annual OECD report 'Education at a Glance'.
The American Chamber of Commerce said last night the Government should resist the temptation to cut spending on education as it sought to address the fiscal deficit. "Investment across the entire education system is required if we are to maintain confidence in the talent of future generations to meet the demand of the global economy."
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