Class sizes to rise in bid to cut costs

Further cuts to school budgets or increased class sizes at primary level could be on the cards, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has warned as he tries to find another €77m in savings next year.

Despite rising pupil numbers, the funding cut is required by his department in addition to staggered cuts announced in the budget last December. These included planned reductions over a number of years to the grants given to schools for their day-to-day costs.

“I have no choice at the least but to maintain the reduced capitation grants announced for primary and post-primary schools, and pay and non-pay funding for higher education institutions,” Mr Quinn told the Oireachtas education committee.

In response, Jonathan O’Brien, the Sinn Féin education spokesman, said schools are already feeling the impact of this year’s cuts, before the announced cuts up to 2015 that will amount to a total 6% reduction.

“We now have a situation where some primary schools are no longer providing basic toiletries... That gives a sense of the pressure some schools are under and when we see further cuts next year, there’s no doubt there’s going to be an effect on frontline services,” he said.

Mr Quinn said he is limited in what he can cut as most areas of his budget have already been hit hard in recent years and 78% of his current budget, set at €8.165bn for 2013, goes to paying almost 95,000 staff and 38,000 pensioners.

But rising pupil numbers are putting pressure on his budget for this year, which is also buckling due to increased retirements. He confirmed teacher cuts are being considered.

But, he said, the impact of another increase to second- level pupil-teacher ratios would be more significant than at primary level, given the possible impacts on smaller schools in particular.

Mr Quinn said this week rising student numbers over the next three years will mean 3,000 more primary and secondary teachers are needed if pupil-teacher ratios are to be maintained.