Fluirse calls for more ICT in schools
07-12-2007
by Emmet Ryan

Kerry based e-learning firm Fluirse has called on the Government to invest more in IT in primary and secondary schools.

Kristian O'Donovan, one of the firm's co-founders and directors, told ENN that a failure to invest in ICT in schools would have disastrous consequences for the Irish economy.

"We're about 5 to 10 years behind the UK at present in terms of investment and development," said O'Donovan. "In the long run this will see international software companies stop coming to Ireland."

He said the average amount spent on ICT per child in the UK was more than double that spent per child in Ireland.

The Fluirse director said the Government's current focus was failing to address the needs of the education system. "All the money seems to be going to fourth level when it should be going into primary schools," said O'Donovan. "We need to integrate IT into education at an early age."

Fluirse's call for more funding for IT in primary and second level education comes in the wake of the firm criticising how the Government distributed funding in education in the Budget earlier this week.

"Whilst we welcome the announcement by the Minister to allocate EUR828 million of the total education budget of EUR9.3 billion to schools' capital investment, we are disappointed that once again this government has failed to take any measures to address the continued lack of investment in and support for ICT in our primary schools," said Tomas Finneran, co-founder and director of Fluirse.

"Whilst this Government is starting to address the obvious physical infrastructure inadequacies, they are ignoring the increasingly outdated and inadequate ICT infrastructure."

Finneran said that while Fluirse welcomed the boost in capital investment for schools, the Government failed to see the bigger picture. "There is much more to education than four walls and a roof, and this Budget fails to recognise this," he said.

"After the wealth that this economy has delivered and was available to this government over the past decade, it is clear that we have missed another opportunity to establish an effective ICT Infrastructure in our primary schools."

The Kerry-based firm was found by Finneran and O'Donovan in 2005. Fluirse employs six people and recently won the award for Best Campus Spinout at the InterTrade Ireland All Island Seedcorn Awards.