Preparing Our Kids for 'The Knowledge Economy'

Tuesday September 18, 2007 19:28

by C Murray

Critical Under- Investment in Education (again)

The ' Knowledge Economy' is something that many of us cannot get our heads round,
but it goes hand in hand with the idea of the Meritocracy and Computer Dependence
so beloved of the people who cannot be arsed getting out of bed and doing a day's
work. It is high dependence stuff and means in real terms, preparing kids for tech
lives and ignoring humanistic education. OECD is criticising our Government for
under-investment in our kids futures (again), with one of the lowest spends in the EU
on our kid's futures. Personally I think it is lazy complacency that allows Ministers
to underspend on National and State Schools. We don't invest in future jobs for the kids.

Joesph Beuy's Blackboards. [Tate Collection]

Just before the General Election and in the run up to the Junior and Leaving Certs, kids
were out on the streets every morning leafletting and taking part in the lovely civics process
of learning to agigtate the local politicians:-

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82156

In 2006 , FF promised 1000 Euros per child under six, but never got round to addressing
the issue of free pre-primary education to our kids, not to the issue of National Schools
having to ask parents for 'hidden fees' to support basic needs in the classrooms- like
books/photocopying- not to mention big fund-raisers for essential repairs and building
funds:- http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77792

The Primary Principals had threatened to stop asking the contributory and to enforce
the State not to abdicate in it's duty of care to invest in the future of the country by
supporting families and communities with basic, accessible educational needs.
The FF answer to everything being to widen tax bands and hope the excess leaches
off into the private sector and 2006 saw a massive critical underspend in the Department
of education and Science on the building programmes. (Ms Hanafin used be a teacher, btw).

The Traveller capitation grants were cut.

The 2003-2005 reports show how they were spent:-

http://www.itmtrav.com/education02b.html

The rationalising of the decision :-

http://www.hea.ie/index.cfm/page/news/category/134/sect...d/260.

we spend 6,713 Euros per child
the EU average is 6,811 per child

Taking into account wealth we are the lowest on the table. FF are currently
'thinking in' in Druid's Glen.

The resultant lack of spend has led to:-
1. A relentless mainstreaming into the tech/knowledge economy.
2.A starvation of the apprenticeship/engineering section.
3.Lack of guaranteed public service job recruitment and opening up of
specialised jobs to the EU market cos our emphasis is on tech.

The report is I.T;-
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0918/bre....html

Not every child in this country wants to go into IT and Tech, some do not want to
be mainstreamed and prefer to learn a trade, and whilst the FETAC provides
some alternative to the rigorness of a too big leaving cert with no emphasis
on the humanities, it has not the guaranteed job opportunities necessary for
kids who want to do things other than be zombies for corporates. In the links
I will put the lack of funding to ed Pscyh for early interventions into dsylexia and
dsypraxia and how mainstreaming lets down kids who do have special needs
which are mostly unavailable when they hit second level.