Focus on impact of cuts on disadvantaged communities

THE inevitable heavy impact of cutbacks on educational services in disadvantaged communities will be highlighted at a conference which begins today.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe will make his first address to a meeting of a key education partner body at the Irish Vocational Education Association annual congress in Galway tomorrow evening. But he is likely to be greeted with warnings about the adverse effects on poorer people and low-skilled workers of the 3% pay budget he has ordered from city and county Vocational Education Committees, who are represented by the association.

As well as managing about 250 second level schools and 200 centres with further education courses, which will be exempt from any pay bill cuts, the committees also run adult education, literacy and other training programmes, which target people returning to studies or trying to increase their employment opportunities.