The World Bank’s Director of the World Development Plan 2019, Simeon Djankov, astutely explained to the Finance Committee where Ireland fits into the world picture in terms of education and technology.
I asked him if Ireland is changing the school curriculum fast enough to meet the new jobs of the future. We are not. “By the time that our kids graduate from college, in some sense, they are already obsolete,” he stated. The most competitive countries invest in technology from preschool age (3 to 6).
We all know that access to broadband is poor in our rural areas. Mr. Djankov remarked that broadband is “hugely important”. He described how less affluent countries, specifically Vietnam, are using innovations to provide broadband access and a rich curriculum resulting in students achieving high ranking test scoring.
The World Bank World Development Plan 2019 can be read here.
