revelation to throw Further Education into chaos
(12 Nov 2008)
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has learned that an increased pupil to teacher ratio is also to apply to the Further Education Sector, the Leaving Cert Vocational Certificate, the Leaving Cert Applied Programme and other programmes that were designed to respond to specific needs. Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses will be particularly badly hit by the new cuts.
Speaking today, TUI President Don Ryan said:
“We are furious that this cutback was not revealed prior to our meeting with the Minister yesterday.
This is another vicious attack on education which was not even put in the public domain until now. Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses will be particularly badly hit by this short-sighted decision.
Unemployment is soaring; the need to up-skill and re-skill is escalating by the day. The acknowledged strength of the Further Education sector, particularly in relation to PLC courses, lies in the range of courses offered and how colleges can react and tailor these courses to the specific and unique employment needs of the local community.
Now is not the time to undermine and reduce the capacity of the Further Education sector to engage people in relevant learning programmes that prepare them for the labour market and support progression to higher education.
The change in the staffing schedule will inevitably have a hugely detrimental effect on the diversity of courses offered to students, with an inevitable follow-on effect on their employment prospects. It will undo years of magnificent progress in the sector.
Many courses run for more than one year so the new pupil teacher ratio will throw the system into absolute chaos. Put simply, a logistical nightmare lies ahead for course co-ordinators.
The justification for these programmes to operate on a lower pupil:teacher of 16:1 has long been established in terms of:
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the high emphasis on technological based subjects
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labour market skills
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practical tasks
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applied and experiential learning
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practical based examinations
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and the high planning and administrative demand associated with these.
In particular further education must be responsive to changing labour market needs and skills deficits.
Further Education colleges provide courses in areas as diverse as architecture, film production, graphic design, journalism, computer science and courses in the service areas such childcare and nursing . In all, there are a staggering 1000 courses provided nationally across a range of areas. These courses are first choice for a large cohort of students due to the high quality and highly specified nature of the courses.
The sector also provides the most second chance education opportunities to those who would otherwise be let down by the education system, with half the student population over 20 years of age and more than one fifth over 30 years of age.
Programmes such as the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme promote technological courses while the Leaving Certificate Applied and the Junior Cert Schools Programme underpin the governments own strategy to improve retention at second level. Research shows that vast majority of students have a preference for activity based learning students, which benefits their overall achievement. Coupled with the withdrawal of substantial grant aid, the cuts will decimate these programmes in schools.
Successive Ministers for Education have spun the same rhetoric about tackling disadvantage, ending inequalities in our education system and ensuring a level playing field for all. At a time when educational attainment of the population is of an even greater importance, it is unforgivable that cutbacks be foisted on such a high quality first choice education option which also offers more second chance education opportunities than all the others put together.”