Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 17 October 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

General Scheme of the National Cyber Security Bill 2024: Cyber Ireland

1:30 pm

Mr. Brian Honan:

Yes, I would have a similar view on that. When it comes to cybersecurity skills, the focus is on post-secondary. When you go into third level, you may have the choice of doing something on cybersecurity. We have nothing here in Ireland at primary or secondary level to encourage not just the development of cybersecurity skills but to create awareness and the ability to be safe and secure online citizens so that young people can identify misinformation and disinformation. We have seen lots of examples of how that has caused disruption not just online but also in the real world and lately here in Ireland as well. In Finland, for example, it is part of the primary and secondary curriculum to teach people how to identify and spot misinformation. In Luxembourg, cybersecurity awareness is also part of primary education. As a country, if we want to become a recognised leader in cybersecurity, we must start at the very beginning and not try and catch people at 18, 19 or later to educate them on cybersecurity.

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