Irish Education Spending Lowest Of Euro Neighbours

A Fine Gael TD has hit out at the government accusing it of having the lowest education spending of its Western neighbours.

TD Seán Barrett said the government has failed to prioritise investment in education, exposing the state to one of the lowest rates of investment in education in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which encompasses 30 European countries as well as America and Canada.

The TD said: "With OECD countries spending an average of 6.2% of their Gross Domestic Product on education, and countries like Israel and Iceland committing over 8% of GDP to educational investment, Fianna Fáil has consistently failed to spend more than 4.6% in this vital area.

"The link between education and economic prosperity is no secret, as the landmark 1966 Investment in Education Report, prepared under joint Irish and OECD auspices, stressed. The importance of investment in education is widely acknowledged for its significant effect on the country's economic growth."

The TD further called on the government to increase spending to at least that of the international average.

However, the TD failed to give any indication of where such spending could be sourced from as the Irish economy takes a downturn, and economists predict difficult times ahead both internationally and domestically with the ongoing world-wide market crises.

(DW/JM)