Education cuts will prove to be short-sighted and counter-productive
Governments change but the message is the same each year, with the budget invariably heralding deeper cuts in the allocation of educational resources that are essential to ensure that the children of this country can achieve their full potential. The increase in pupil-teacher ratio, the moratorium on middle-management posts of responsibility, the withdrawal of Traveller resource teachers and English-language support teachers, the reduction in special needs assistants, the cut in the special needs education budget and other cuts to funding in recent years have already taken their toll.
This year, due to the dire fiscal backdrop, our expectations were particularly low, and schools have been bracing themselves for this day for some time. The National Parents’ Council articulated the fears of parents in their pre-budget submission where they stated that: “Further cuts will push schools to the breaking point”, signalling that it is a “a misperception to think that after three years of cuts that all schools can cope”. While we all acknowledge that the Government must make difficult choices about the use of resources, we consider the consequences of these choices for education and our young people.
