Tipperary General Election candidate hones in on investment in education

“Education is the cornerstone of our success. From the Fianna Fáil Government decision to give free secondary education in the 1960s, which grew the nine regional technical colleges, many of which are now Technological Universities, to the significant increase in students attending third level,” says Fianna Fáil General Election candidate in Tipperary North, Michael Smith.

“It all starts with primary and secondary levels. It is important that the educational and training system caters for the diversity of human talent, with opportunities in a variety of sectors.

“I want to salute the teachers in our post-primary schools who have done so much to prepare their adolescent students for life. In all cases, they have helped to integrate and serve the wider community whose parents may come from different backgrounds and work in our hospitals, care centres, supermarkets, factories and other workplaces and who provide a range of services to the public. If elected to the Dail, I will do my utmost to persuade Fianna Fáil to give more leadership in funding and innovation in education- better funding in particular for primary schools and teachers. We have allowed our University and third level institutions to be underfunded. Our third level educational facilities are essential for developing new ideas and new skills, particularly at this time of social and climatic upheaval. A Fianna Fáil led government will invest more in university research and far more in a wide range of post-graduate scholarships and awards.

“The recent crisis in Valencia demonstrates that tragedies bring fundamental challenges to our contemporary culture. However, it is significant research and community cooperation that will lead us to safely meet these challenges. Even for food security, farmers play a core role in protecting it and we need to protect farming in this country. New levels of cooperation and adaptation are required in so many aspects of our daily lives. We have to work together in North Tipperary and West Kilkenny to achieve these goals. I want to ensure that there will be more investment in research. It is important that there would be greater linkage with the industrial and agricultural sector, creating new sustainable jobs and services and helping this generation of graduates to be the problem solvers of the future.”