A new report highlighting the impact of poverty on a child’s performance in school is further proof that the Government got its priorities badly wrong in last week’s budget, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon.
Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s education spokesperson, said:
“The ‘Children’s School Lives’ study, which looked at 4,000 students in 200 primary schools around the country, should be compulsive reading for the Government.
“The report found that poverty impacts on a student’s education from a young age, with those from poorer families more likely to be placed in the lowest ability groups for reading and maths. The gap between the less well-off and wealthier pupils also appears to widen as they move from senior infants to second class.
“Despite the current Taoiseach and his predecessor both claiming they were committed to ending child poverty, last week’s budget exposes this pledge for the shallow rhetoric that it is.
“While some children living in poverty go to school without a warm coat, the Government presented a budget that gives millions in energy credits to the owners of second homes and squanders €9 million on mobile phone pouches for schools that nobody asked for.
“Last week, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) described the budget as a missed opportunity to lift thousands of children out of poverty in Ireland.
“The Government parties seem to think that child poverty is inevitable. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is the direct result of political decisions made for short-term electoral gain – like last week’s budget.”
October 9, 2024