Michael Conaghan (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is a danger that the education system will become a slave to the economy. I am not saying that the Minister has the view because he is a very enlightened person. It would be wrong to slavishly follow the needs of the economy or skew the education system towards that star. The needs of the economy today will be completely different from its needs in ten years' time.

The education system needs to be aware of the purposes it serves, the economy being one of them. We need to achieve a balance and ensure that the child, rather than the economy, comes first. Obviously, the child eventually making a living must be taken into account, but making a living in 15 or 20 years time will be very different from making a living today. Striking a balance between the demands on the curriculum and schools is difficult.