Education plays a vital role in societies because it is a right that

every human is given. Not only does education provide better

opportunities for people, but it also has an impact on fostering economic
growth and peace. In particular, the education status of Ireland will be
analyzed by the Global Education First Initiative priorities conducted by
the United Nations. These three priorities consist of making it an
obligation to put every child in school, improving the quality of learning
that goes on, and strengthening global citizenship. These key principles
are the foundation for education in countries around the world since they
are the necessary guidelines to follow in order for success in the
education system. Because education is such a driver of economic,
social and political advancement, it is crucial that countries receive the
proper resources.
In Ireland, the government sets minimal standards for compulsory
education between the ages of five and sixteen years old (3). Up to the
age of eighteen years old, it is a requirement to complete three years of
post-primary schooling. However, this has become a problem over the
years because the Constitution of Ireland states that this type of
education can be taught in the home (3). This is due to the fact that the
constitution does not explicitly ask to define the minimum standards for
the State. With that being said, Ireland provides many opportunities for
the citizens with free education at all levels. While this includes
university level, it is only free if students apply from the European
Union. Overall, recent years show that education in Ireland has emerged
immensely seeing that there has been a growth in the economy since the
1960s (1). According to the Gross National Income, Ireland is the
second largest country in the European Union for education spending
(1). Despite that, their spending on early childhood education remains
the lowest. This suggests a huge problem in enrollment regarding the
first priority of First Initiative because they place a lesser weighting on
education in the early stages of life.

http://www.publicp olicy.ie/early- childhood- education-in-ireland/

While Ireland is the second largest country in the European Union
to spend on overall education spending, they remain the lowest country
to spend on early childhood education (1). Even though the government
provides a great amount of funding for the country, they do not focus on
the importance of improved quality education in terms of early
childhood development. According to statistics conducted from Gross
National Income, they are only at 0.13% for expenditure on early
childhood (1). Seeing that this number is eight times lower than that of
Denmark, it is concerning whether or not Ireland is providing their
students with a vast amount of quality education (1). This can be related
to the Global Education First Initiative priorities because there is a weak
foundation for early learning (2). In other words, many countries,
including Ireland, focus more attention on later grades.

http://www.publ icpolicy.ie/early- childhood- education-in- ireland/

The third policy from Global Education First Initiative is
strengthening global citizenship. To be considered a global citizen,
individuals must identify themselves as being involved in an emerging
world community. In other words, his or her actions have an influence
on building the communitys values. For Ireland, this priority seems to
be met by allowing citizens to attend higher education (3). Ireland
provides great opportunities for furthering an education, allowing
European Union students to attend any university in the country free of
charge (3). Having the ability to continue receiving an education enabled
students to apply their skills into the working force late on, which can
drive the economic progress of many different societies.

Sources
1. Early Childhood Education in Ireland. (2013, July 19). Retrieved
November 8, 2015, from
http://www.publicpolicy.ie/early- childhood-education-in-ireland/
2. Priority #2: Improve the Quality of Learning. (n.d.) Retrieved
November 8, 2015, from
http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/219.htm
3. Overview of the Irish Education System. (2013, January 22).
Retrieved November 8, 2015, from
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/the_irish_education_
system/overview _of_the_irish_education_system.html