Which party or combination of parties in government would be best for Irish education? It will scarcely be the first question asked of party canvassers as the election campaign gets under way. Tax, crime, healthcare, social services, the North - these are the immediate issues on which they will be challenged. But no question is more central to our collective future. Nothing will have a greater influence on the society which our children and grandchildren will inherit. And if our present economic wellbeing derives from any one single factor it is from the conviction of earlier generations that they had to invest, almost to the point of recklessness, in the education of their sons and daughters. Inward investment and EU funds would have done little to lift Ireland's economy were this not an educated society - and becoming more so.
Yet our educational system leaves much to be desired. It may be better in certain respects than that of the United Kingdom. But that is a poor yardstick. Our points of reference and comparison should be in continental Europe, preferably among the smaller States which, like this one, draw their prosperity from high added value economic activities, rather than from any abundance of natural resources.
All the parties believe in educational investment. It is common case that significant additional resources need to be put into the primary sector. The Progressive Democrats would go further, pointing to the preschool phase as a wholly neglected element of the educational process. Most of our schoolchildren have insufficient or no tuition specific to the world of electronic information. Our record on languages is abysmal. And thousands of boys and girls with special needs still pass through the schools without remedial services or guidance.
But where our educational policies have failed utterly is in regard to the cycle of deprivation which grips a significant minority of this State's population, mostly in a number of well identified urban locations. Teachers will say - correctly - that education alone cannot break the recurring patterns of poverty, ignorance, crime and alienation in these areas. But it is certain that without more effective educational policies, these areas will suffer the cycle of enduring misery from generation to generation. There are estates where no child this October will pass on to third level education and where those taking a full Leaving Certificate in June will still be something of a novelty.
No amount of well wishing and no amount of dedication from teachers will break this cycle. It will take money, lots of it for remedial staff, for guidance, for special facilities and for special programmes. If we are serious about sharing out the fruits of our prosperity, if we want to bring the so called underclass into the warmth of the economic miracle, this is where to start.
Which of the parties - which government would have the courage and the commitment to do so? The election auguries are not encouraging, with the initial concentration on tax programmes tailored to capturing the middle ground. Fianna Fail has the tradition of supporting educational investment. But if they are linked to the Progressive Democrats can we expect the financial commitment which would be necessary? The PDs' tax proposals are dependent on achieving large savings in public expenditure. Is it likely that they would enhance spending on education? Those who believe that Ireland's educational system has to be further resourced and considerably so - will view with concern the possibility of PD fiscal policies being given rein in a new administration.