By its lack of foresight, Fianna Fáil has allowed standards to fall and condemned our children to an uncertain future, says Olwyn Enrightof Fine Gael, in the second of our series in which the main opposition spokespersons on education take the Government to task on their education record and outline how they might change things

During his US Presidential election campaign, George Bush Sr was advised to turn his attention away from short-term campaign objectives and focus on the longer term. His now-famous response was, "Oh, the vision thing".

In the war of a general election, the "vision thing" is often the first casualty. Over the coming months, the country will be treated to long lists: of teacher numbers, of schools promised, of special needs assistants and strategies to combat this, that, and the other.

This is all well and good, but what's missing here is the longer-term view. When it comes to education the long-term is what it's all about, more than with any other aspect of Government policy.

Why? Because doing well in education defines the type of life you lead. Leaving school early - or staying on and getting to college - can be the difference between struggling to keep your head above water, or living comfortably with a well-paid job.

In short, how a child does at school often defines their adulthood.

This is obvious, yet this Government has presided over an education system stretched to the limit, struggling to cope with new challenges, and leaving behind some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the State. And, with their marked absence of vision and forward planning for education, this Government has allowed standards in schools to stagnate, and conditions to worsen.

Literacy rates amongst children from disadvantaged backgrounds show no improvement. School drop-out rates remain consistently and unacceptably high. Many class sizes are bigger than ever. Appallingly, over half of all primary schools have no access to the psychological service set up by the Department of Education nearly a decade ago.

My vision for education is simple: every aspect, and every decision, of our education system must be geared towards one objective - allowing young people reach their potential, and achieve their best from school. This means waking up to the growing challenges that schools face, as well as addressing the persistent problems that undermine our education system.

Some of these challenges involve drug and alcohol abuse, the language needs of international children, and discipline issues. The persistent problems include decrepit school buildings, endemic literacy and numeracy problems, overcrowded classrooms and an out-of-date approach to subjects such as Irish, maths and science.

To tackle these issues we need to recognise that a "one size fits all" approach is not always the best for children, parents and teachers. Schools are facing big problems on a daily basis - we will empower them to address these problems, as they see fit and in their own way.

One example: schools are working, day in and day out, with vulnerable children and young people. I know that many have initiatives in place - some without any direct funding - that are helping to keep young people in school and improve their education. For one school, keeping children engaged and learning might be all about giving them a decent breakfast. For another, the way to a child's mind might be through a homework club or a computer class.

Another example: today, young people in Ireland have ever-greater access to drugs and alcohol. Drug-testing strategies can work, especially in combating "peer pressure". Fine Gael believes that where a school, in consultation with parents, decides to introduce random voluntary drug and alcohol testing, the Department of Education should cover the costs.

In education, what works should be supported. In addition to specific targeted initiatives, Fine Gael will fund locally developed programmes and support new thinking in how schools address educational challenges. We will allow schools access funding directly from the Department of Education to keep successful programmes running.

Twenty-first century Ireland cannot thrive on a 1920s education system. Reform in what we teach, how we teach it, and where we teach it is long overdue.

Look at the Irish language, where the approach has just not worked. Fine Gael will revitalise the teaching of the language, overhaul the curriculum and put a real focus on the teaching of conversational Irish. In addition, we will give young people a choice - for the first time - whether to take Irish to Leaving Certificate level. This, again, is about recognising that "one size fits all" never fits with all young people.

If we want to get the most from our education system, schools must be good places in which to learn and to teach. Bullying must be stamped out. In particular, homophobic bullying - which is rife, yet ignored - will be tackled.

Schools must also be empowered to deal with poor discipline and threatening behaviour in a real way. We cannot afford to allow young people to think that schools are powerless to address unacceptable behaviour. If threats and violence go unchallenged it's not only bad for education today, it sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our society.

Ireland is changing, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the classroom. Schools face new challenges, but with an absence of forward planning and vision at the helm they are struggling to cope.

So, who loses out? Children and young people. It's time to change the approach, and make every decision of the education system work in their favour.