The challenge of providing a world-class education system for young people in Ireland was a realistic objective, the conference was told.
Ms Roisin Shorthall, spokeswoman on education and children, said strong economic growth in recent years had provided an opportunity for real reform and much-needed investment in education. So far, however, that opportunity had not been grasped.
Schools across Ireland continued to survive on a shoestring budget. "There continues to be no State-funded pre-school service. Literacy remains staggeringly low. FF and the PDs have chosen to pretend such scandalous problems are not a real part of modern Ireland. Parents, teachers, principals and students . . . could tell them otherwise. "