Education cuts will cost families thousands

By TUI, Wednesday, 29th October 2008 | 0 comments

Breakdown of how education cuts will affect typical families – click to download

TUI has calculated the effects of the Budget cuts on typical families in Ireland .

Union General Secretary Peter MacMenamin said:

“Effectively, families will be paying thousands extra for the education of their children as a result of these cuts.

To make matters worse, they are paying extra for a system that has been brutally asset-stripped rather than enhanced.

We urge all members of the public outraged by these cuts to join in the protest outside the Dáil tomorrow night. “

Mr MacMenamin continued:


“The true burden of the education cuts continues to hit home this week as school management, teachers and parents examine and come to terms with the real impact on students and day to day school life – in effect the negative impact on the quality of our teaching and learning and the life chances of the future generation.

The cuts across all levels of education will be most felt by those on low and low to middle incomes who have least money to spare. Analysis by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland shows excruciating additional costs to families who do not qualify for a medical card and are just above the threshold to benefit from third level grant aid of any kind. 

A family with two children in third level and two in post primary is likely to bear an additional cost of around €2,590 next year. A lone parent with three children, one in third level and two in post primary will have to find at least an additional €1,438 from an already stretched income. So much for ‘free education’, a phenomenon which Ireland often brags about but has little meaning at the moment.”

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