Increased investment in education is crucial if Ireland is to prepare for the technological changes that are becoming part of everyday life, Mr Peter Cassells, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, told teachers in Tralee, Co Kerry, yesterday.
He said investment in education had to be increased and sustained in order to prepare people for the information society.
His address was the first made by a general secretary of ICTU at a convention of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI), which gathered yesterday for its 76th annual convention. Mr Cassells was invited to respond to the presidential address made by Mr John Hurley at the start of the convention.
As a member of the Government Steering Group which is preparing Ireland for the information society, he said, "it's crucially important to grasp the fact that the technologies themselves are irrelevant without significant social learning on their application," Mr Cassells told delegates.
He referred to the millions of pounds that have been lost through the various tribunals of inquiry and "now through the banks", and said "every pound evaded in tax is a pound taken out of the classroom to educate our children." He said "we need to ensure" that demands from various sectors for money from the European structural funds should not take from "the one single priority for investment and development in education".
"The economy is bringing great changes, but it is social investment that changes our society, and in particular social investment in education." This change, he said, should be achieved through partnership.
He said: "It's our adaptability and well-rounded individuals who are capable of taking responsibilities and working in teams" that companies and employers are looking for. "It's important that we do not collapse our education system into a points race," he added.
Mr Cassells has been centrally involved in negotiations on the national agreements beginning with the Programme for National Recovery in 1988.
He currently represents congress on the National Economic and Social Council, the Central Review Committee, the Employer Labour Conference, the European Trade Union Confederation and Forfas. He has been general secretary of the ICTU since 1989.
"I've been involved in various national programmes," he said. "The big issue" for companies and employers was always, he explained, the young, well-educated, adaptable workforce that we had.
Commenting on the competing demands for money from the European structural funds, he told the gathering of more than 500 in Tralee yesterday: "We need to get the balance right." He said this included having a fair taxation system, a quality public services system, and a top-quality education system.