Only instrument-making course hit by cutbacks

Musician John Spillane says it is “sad” that cutbacks have severely hit Ireland’s only musical instrument-making course.

The withdrawal of funding by the Government will deny students at Cork’s St John’s Central College the chance to complete their expected second year of study.

“I am very sorry to hear that the instrument-making course in St John’s College has been cancelled due to Government cutbacks and 16 enthusiastic students have been left with no course,” said Spillane. “Sad really.”

According to course director Declan Young, the cutback means students are only half way to being the finished article.

“This has come about because of one line in the last budget, increasing the pupil-teacher ratio from 17:1 to 19:1,” said Mr Young.

“It seems innocuous, but in fact the effect is you have to get rid of teachers, as you have fewer hours. We are losing the equivalent of 10 whole-time teachers in the college alone.”

The ratio increase came about as Education Minister Ruairi Quinn seeks €12m savings annually from 2014.

“I would appeal to the minister and ask him to think about the effect that one single line in the budget is having on the ground,” said Mr Young.

“A good proportion of the students are long-term unemployed and the department’s stated policy is to bring long-term unemployed people back into the education system.

“Here’s an example where we have the expertise, we have the facilities, we have 16 applications for the second year — we even have a guy coming from Canada to be interviewed for first year — and yet we can’t run the course. The department’s promise is not being fulfilled.”

According to figures provided recently to the Irish Examiner, the Department of Education has allowed 10 VECs in Cavan, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Louth, and Wicklow to keep 25 of the jobs due to have been cut. This came about after cases were put forward by 17 of the 33 city and county VECs.

VECs have been given until September to devise how best to deal with the changes. Despite the concession, City of Cork VEC will still lose 19 of the 24 posts that were to be cut and said it will inevitably lead to some courses being lost across five schools and colleges.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland president Gerard Craughwell said the change in pupil-teacher ratios will “have a devastating effect on further education”.

“The Government says it will take 200 equivalent full-time posts out of the system, but we estimate the equivalent of 500 teachers on the ground will be lost to the sector, because of the casualised nature of the employment in further education,” said Mr Craughwell. “It is the TUI position that this move is ill-advised, shows a lack of understanding of the student profile attending further education colleges and, ultimately, will lead to the demise of the further education sector.

“We have 38,000 students attending further education, which is about 8,000 over our allocation. We will not be able to continue doing this.”

Mr Young said the importance of the second year could not be underestimated.

“The first year will continue, but the second year completes it and gives the people the confidence they need to go out and set themselves up,” he said. “The second year gives students a changed perception of themselves, and builds incredible confidence that wasn’t present before.”