Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 June 2013
41. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline the topics that were discussed at the Conference on Education and Development in Brussels, attended by Minister of State, Deputy Joe Costello; and if he will use his position to advocate for education to be a central theme in discussions on the post-2015 global development framework. [30782/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraStrong progress has been made in improving access to education under the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, adopted internationally in 2000. Today, forty million more children are enrolled in primary school than at the start of the new century. However, this progress has been uneven. For instance, children from conflict-affected states and children from remote rural areas in poor countries account for most of the 61 million children of primary school age who have never attended school. Moreover, the quality of education has not kept pace with increases in enrolment. Many children still leave school without acquiring basic numeracy and literacy skills. Improving access to quality education is an important priority of the Irish Aid programme. In 2012, for instance, the Government provided over €42 million in development assistance for programmes focused on education. These programmes are concentrated on ensuring access for the most marginalised, as well as on improving quality.
In advance of the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations has been holding a series of international consultations on the possible shape of a new framework for global development, beyond 2015.
As part of these consultations, I participated in an international Conference on Education and Development in Brussels in May. The objective of the meeting was to underline the importance of education in reducing poverty and to discuss how education should be represented in the post-2015 framework.
Speakers at the Conference emphasised the need for a continued focus on improving global access to education, particularly for children from the poorest families. The important role education can play in preventing conflict and improving the resilience of communities affected by conflict or natural disaster was also highlighted. In my address, I emphasised the need to address the quality of education, and the need to improve accountability at all levels: accountability by donors, partner countries, ministries of education and schools, to the pupils and their parents.
Ireland has been centrally involved in discussions to date on a new post-2015 development framework. During our EU Presidency, Ireland has been instrumental in ensuring a coherent and consistent position across the EU in advance of the United Nations Special Event on the MDGs, which will be held in September. In presentations I have made at the UN, the OECD and the EU, I have highlighted the importance of education in the fight to eliminate extreme poverty and, therefore, in any framework for the achievement of sustainable development. I will continue to take this approach.
