Education ministers discuss tsunami aid funding

European Education ministers are to seek assurances from the EU that a percentage of the money donated to victims of last month's tsunami will go towards rebuilding the education systems in the areas affected.

They met in Paris earlier today to co-ordinate a response to the disaster in which many schools were destroyed and many thousands of teachers and students were killed.

The Irish Government has given UNICEF €1m in aid to help its efforts to rebuild schools in the region.

Junior Education Minister Síle de Valera represented Ireland at the meeting.

She said that education will play a major role in the rebuilding of children's lives.