Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is important that the broader society generally knows of the importance of education because during the last number of difficult years, one of the arguments used for us to get out of this economic mess was the importance of education. That work has already started but it needs to be developed. It is very well to talk about class sizes but there is also the matter of educational disadvantage, with 138,000 children in the State living in poverty. That consistent poverty has increased from 6.8% in 2008 to 11.7%. Dr. Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children, has indicated we could have 37,000 children living in poverty in 2020, and there are 1,054 who are currently homeless. I am linking this to broader education. If there are warm, happy schools in disadvantaged areas, they can do much to deal with issues like poverty and economic and social disadvantage. For many children at risk, the most stable part of the day can be the five hours in a local primary school. People often miss that in serious issues like educational disadvantage or poverty in the modern society.

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