Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The second Millennium Development Goal aims for the achievement of universal primary education by the year 2015. Since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration at the UN in 2000, the world has made remarkable progress on investing in education. Between 1999 and 2009, the global school-aged population increased by 25% and primary school enrolment increased by 59%. However progress has not been uniform across the world and recent statistics show that it has slowed down since 2005. As of 2011, as many as 57 million children, 54% of them girls, remain out of school. Lower enrolment and primary school completion rates for girls remain a particular problem in sub Saharan Africa.Being a girl, coming from a conflict affected region, being disabled, and having to engage in child labour are identified as the main factors which work against children’s education.

Ireland recognises from our own history that improving access to quality education is central to efforts to reduce poverty and promote inclusive economic growth. A commitment to improving access to education, in line with the MDGs, is a central priority of the Irish Aid programme. In 2012, we allocated some €33.9 million to education programmes in developing countries. Ireland’s new policy on International Development, One World, One Future,reaffirms our commitment to education, and especially the importance of focusing on the education of girls and ensuring that improvements in education quality accompany efforts to increase access to education in developing countries.

Ireland’s strategy in supporting the achievement of the second MDG is to focus on the most marginalised communities and those that have been left behind to date. We support national governments in our partner countries to build sustainable education systems; we focus strongly on awareness-raising to address gender based violence in schools; we support the work of Non-Governmental Organisations in programmes to improve educational infrastructure and the school learning environment. Child labour, both domestic and industrial, is a major barrier to childhood development. Ireland provides substantial support to international efforts to eliminate child labour through Irish Aid’s assistance to the International Labour Organisation’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour.

Overall, Irish Aid is supporting the ’Decent Work Agenda’ of theInternational Labour Organisation (ILO) in a partnership programme that covers the four year period 2012-2015. The Programme on the Elimination of Child Labouris one of four priority focus areas for Irish Aid’s support to the ILO. During 2014 and 2015, our support will facilitate the ILO in its efforts at eliminating the worst forms of child labour from tobacco growing in Malawi and Zambia, quarrying in India, artisanal fishing in Ghana and stone-breaking in Benin.