Young people have their say on what's good and bad about Irish life
They see the recession as causing their parents stress about losing their jobs and are fully aware that because, of the recession, their families have less money, and everything is more expensive.
The youngsters are also aware of the likelihood that they will shoulder the cost of the bank guarantee when they get older and are concerned that, because of the recession, they might not be able to get jobs when they finish school.
The results emerged as part of a nationwide study seeking to elicit the views of young people about living in Ireland.
It was commissioned by the Department of Children and 66,705 young people, aged four to 23, responded. The average age of the respondent was 11.
Children and young people in every school and Youthreach centre were asked three questions about an Irish childhood: What is the best thing about being a child in Ireland; what is the worst thing about being a child in Ireland; and what is the one thing you would change in Ireland that would make children happy.
The survey showed the downturn is turning the world on its head, as children are voting in favour of school.
Children love to proclaim how much they hate school, but the survey of Irish children shows how 20% view the education system as the best thing about this country. Education was said to be the best thing about Ireland by the most respondents.
"@UberFacts: The average recession lasts for about 16 months." Trust ireland to take it a step too far :/
— Tanya O'Neill (@tanoneill) November 7, 2012
Children and young people describe themselves as proud of this country’s free education, good schools, and the lack of barriers to attending school.
They also view education as a right and describe the standard in Ireland as really good.
However, young people want changes to the points system and reductions in the cost of books and uniforms.
When it came to the question about what they would change about an Irish childhood, the answers were more among the lines of what you would expect.
They want less homework, shorter school days, longer holidays, more sports and art equipment, and fewer children in their classroom.
However, they again displayed maturity, with 22% of children and 27% of young people calling for more investment in teaching science, more science labs, and the greater use of technology in schools.
Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said: “The fact that our tech-savvy young people can identify concerns in this regard should lend a focus to the Government’s ongoing efforts to realise a vision which proposes that technology in education should no longer be considered as a stand-alone element but instead should be integrated across education policy.”
The report found youngsters felt that:
* The best things in Ireland were education (21%), sport (16%), friends (14%), and Irish identity (11%).
* The worst things were the Irish economy and finances (23%), weather (16%), education (14%), and anti-social behaviour and crime (10%).
* If they could, young people and children would change education (23%), followed by the economy and finances (17%), social problems (9%), and places to go (7%).
