In her op-ed in the Irish Independent, Julia Gillard, Board Chair of the Global Partnership for Education, writes that Ireland's booming innovative industries are propelling the country's achievements in education. A world-class knowledge economy cannot thrive without an educated workforce; and this same essential ingredient was pivotal in the dramatic economic success of Singapore, South Korea and China.
Developing countries want to see this kind of progress for their people, but even when they invest from their own limited resources, they still need help from others to improve their education systems at a scale that drives national economic prosperity. This is why it is encouraging to see countries like Ireland increase their contributions to help developing countries overcome their challenges.
By doubling its commitment to GPE earlier this year in Dakar, Senegal, Ireland is strengthening GPE's efforts to help ensure that children, especially girls, in Africa, South Asia, and across the Indo-Pacific are getting a quality education and all the benefits that flow from it. These interventions are a lifeline to some of the poorest countries to strengthen their human capital in order to follow Ireland’s leading example and become the next “tiger.”