Economy relies on investment in early education

A KEY to improving Ireland’s economic prospects is to invest as much on pre-school and early primary education as on roads and infrastructure, Labour Party finance spokeswoman Joan Burton claimed last night.

She told the Magill Summer School, Glenties Co Donegal, she is unsure whether we are getting either an adequate economic or social dividend from current spending on education, even with six ministers assigned to the Department of Education.

“It would be a foolish minister who fell back on the usual tired mantras that we have the best educated workforce on the planet. I don’t believe that,” said Ms Burton.