Pre-school investment ‘could save billions’

THE Government could save billions of euro a year on dole payments to early school leavers by investing in education as early as pre- school, a children’s charity has claimed.

Barnardos estimates in a report on educational disadvantage that almost €10 billion is spent annually on job seekers’ allowance for people who leave school early.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) compiled various Irish and national research on the impact of early school leaving as part of the report.