Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I understand the concern that has been expressed by many well-intentioned people about this. We have been codding ourselves in this country for some time about the extraordinary quality of our education system. Other countries have been devoting a lot of time to reform and improving their systems. As a consequence, we have dropped much further than most people realise from a literacy ranking of fifth in the world league to seventeenth.

All of the education advice I have received over the past year and before I became Minister was that competency in literacy and numeracy are key predictors for educational outcomes as people move through formal education and into the adult career of their choice. We have to get those basic components right. The focus of attention is on that area. At a time when this country has lost its economic sovereignty and we have to reduce overall expenditure we have to make priority choices. I did not make this choice lightly and knew it would disrupt and disappointed some people, but in a world where choices have to be made I made the right choice.

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