A representative for parents of second-level students has said further education cuts will push many schools to breaking point.
 
Speaking at the launch of the Post-Primary Education Forum (PPEF) pre-budget submission today, the President of the National Parents’ Council Post Primary, Tommy Walshe said: “The impression that schools are coping with education cuts is a false one. After three years of cuts I think you could say that every second-level school in the country is struggling. Parents are extremely concerned about this.”
 
The PPEF is a forum involving the National Parents’ Council, management associations and teachers in the post primary sector. The forum campaigns on issues of common concern to the education partners.
 
“It is unthinkable that this situation would be made worse by the Government increasing the pupil-teacher ratio or reducing funding for schools in Budget 2012,” said Mr Walshe.
 
Mr Walshe explained that there have been cuts to the per-capita grant and other grants to schools every year since Budget 2009: “As a result, an increasing proportion of total annual expenditure in a post-primary school must be raised through fund-raising in the local school community. Much of this work is done by parent volunteers. In the current economic crisis such levels of fund-raising are no longer sustainable.”
 
An increase in the pupil-teacher ratio in 2009 has also had a devastating impact on schools, according to the President of the National Parents’ Council (Post Primary). “At this time of rising second-level school population, there has been a serious increase in class sizes. This has impacted heavily on all students, but most especially on those who require additional support and assistance.”
 
“The importance of education to our past and our future economic well-being has been emphasised again and again; not only by parents, teachers and schools, but by economists, politicians and business leaders.”
 
“The cost of short-termism in educational investment will be staggering. Education is not only an investment in our children; it is an investment which benefits all of society for generations. It costs €77,222 to keep a single prisoner for one year and the stark statistic that 90% of prisoners in the State are early school leavers should speak for itself.”

The 10 deepest cuts
Education has come under attack in the last three budgets. The deepest cuts for second-level students, parents, teachers, and schools have been:

An increase in the pupil-teacher ratio

The loss of subjects and programmes and increases in class sizes

A moratorium on posts of responsibility; teacher posts which involve pastoral care work are disappearing from schools

Reductions in funding for schools (capitation grant)

The loss of extra-curricular activities (football, musicals, camera clubs, etc) due to resource pressures

Withdrawal of many English-language teachers

Abolition of resource teachers for Travellers and visiting teachers for Travellers

Curtailment of a supervision/ substitution scheme which schools rely on for school excursions/ educational trips

Increase in the cost to parents of school transport for students

Reduction in supports for students with special needs

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