Towards a Better Future

Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System
year, as well as an additional two hours to be allocated by school management to a teacher on a
rotational basis for the coordination of subject learning and assessment reviews (DES, 2016a). These
allocations are intended to be implemented in the 2016/17 school year in schools in which the
members of the teacher unions have supported by ballot the recommendations of an agreement
between the DES and the two second-level teacher unions.
CONCLUSIONS
The comparative figures and analysis provided by the OECD’s Education at a Glance show that, by
comparison with OECD and EU averages, Ireland’s resourcing and financing of education – in spite
of the recent time of austerity – is not by any means at the lowest level among OECD and EU
countries. However, the data also show that there have been serious cutbacks and that Ireland’s
financing of education is in the mid-range, generally below that of more economically-developed
countries. Even within the parameters of existing resources, it is also important to remember (and
the OECD points this out in a number of places) that different policy choices can be made.
Due to the economic crisis, Ireland has been
through a period of substantial cuts to public
services and education did not escape. While the
cuts are too numerous to list in full, successive
budgets in Ireland have seen the following: paycuts
for teachers (along with all public servants),
substantial cuts to education budgets from 2011
to 2014, including substantial reductions in the
allocations to higher education institutions,
reductions in rates of student support grants and
grants to programmes for marginalised youth
and disadvantaged adults, ‘rationalisation’ of
teacher support services and ‘efficiencies’ in
school transport (i.e. cutbacks) (Department of
Finance, various years). There was an overall
reduction in teacher allocations and school
guidance services. Perhaps most seriously from
“
The comparative figures and
analysis provided by the
OECD’s Education at a Glance
show that, by comparison with
OECD and EU averages,
Ireland’s resourcing and
financing of education – in
spite of the recent time of
austerity – is not by any means
at the lowest level among
OECD and EU countries.
”
the perspective of educational participation and achievement, there were serious cuts in Social
Welfare, including Child Benefit. Analysis of austerity budgets suggests that they are economically
regressive and that they will copper-fasten educational inequalities (e.g. Social Justice Ireland, 2012).
As already indicated, there was a cut that removed the allowances attaching to masters and doctoral
qualifications for new entrants to the profession, in addition to substantial cuts in the money for
continuing professional development (CPD). The allowances, while not large, did provide an
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