Economists, employers, parents, academics and trade unionists joined teachers in outlining the various arguments for increased appropriate investment in education, particularly that which will directly benefit the most marginalised children in our communities.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) hosted the major conference in Dublin today.

TUI General Secretary Peter MacMenamin said that it was “greatly encouraging that so many high profile speakers from such varied backgrounds share a vision of how we need to progress to secure a high quality and completely equitable education system for all.”

“While the concessions in the latest programme for government are to be cautiously welcomed, it must be remembered that even with their full implementation, our education system will still be in a worse state than it was this time last year.  Last year’s cuts are still in place and even when commitments are implemented schools and colleges will operate with seriously depleted resources”

“Student numbers are increasing rapidly, while student drop-out continues to run at an unacceptably high rate. There is also an unprecedented demand for adult, further and higher education courses as a result of increased unemployment.  This has led to a serious shortfall in the number of places in these colleges and also to a situation in Higher Education whereby courses have been dropped and lecturing time for courses has been shortened making it impossible to cover the course content. ”

“The message from contributors today is a clear one. We cannot afford not to invest appropriately in our education system at all levels. If we fail to invest now, the economic and social costs to the country will be immeasurable.”

Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive Officer, Barnardos, questioned whether we care enough about the future generation, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Very soon we will start operating a new prison in Ireland called Thornton Hall. In its first decade of operation, Thornton Hall will cost the taxpayer €1 billion to run and operate.

“In its second decade, Thornton Hall will be full of kids that we neglected while we were spending that €1 billion. If we want to build a society that doesn’t need Thornton Hall any more, we should be investing a fraction of that €1 billion in early intervention and prevention in the lives of some of our children2.

“We know where they live, we know what their circumstances are and what the future holds for them but it seems we’d rather spend €1 billion picking up the pieces after the damage has been done rather than spending a fraction of it preventing that damage”

Tony Donohoe, Head of Education and Social Policy, IBEC identified education as an economic priority.

“Education and training at all levels of progression have an essential role to play in putting our economy back on a growth path. They provide the key to enabling us to be both competitive and prosperous. Economic return from investment in this area tends to accrue mainly in the medium to long term, but it is vital that we treat it as a priority area for investment, even during this time of acute fiscal stress.”

“However at a time when we need to spend public resources with maximum efficiency, it is not sufficient to consider investment inputs alone There is an urgent need to introduce reforms which will ensure excellent outcomes and effective expenditure of Exchequer funds, as well as providing opportunities for teachers and others working in education to use their skills and commitment to maximum effect. Curricular reform and continuous professional development for teachers remain a priority.”

Jackie O' Callaghan, National Parents’ Association for Vocational Schools & Community Colleges described how cutbacks are causing considerable financial problems for families.

“We welcome the u-turn in relation to education issues in the programme for government, but extra vigilance is now essential to make sure that other vital elements of the system are not attacked in the upcoming budget.”

“Schools are still straining under cutbacks already imposed. The change to the pupil teacher ratio has resulted in a loss of subjects in many schools and has also had serious repercussions for students with special educational needs. Typically, it is the poorest families who suffer as a result.”

“Education costs for parents have rocketed at a time when families are already under unprecedented economic strain. With this in mind, it is vital that the third level registration free be frozen for the foreseeable future to allow parents to budget for education provision.”
“In many ways referring to money spent on a day-to-day basis on education as ‘current’ spending is a misnomer. Students represent the future of the country and all spending in education should be looked upon as capital investment.” 

Dr Emer Smyth, Research Professor, ESRI warned that we will pay later if we do not invest appropriately in education now.

“Early school leaving has very striking consequences for the individuals themselves but also for the broader society. Those who leave school before the Leaving Certificate are more likely to be unemployed, earn less if they have a job, and have poorer health and high crime levels. Studies within our prison service clearly indicate that only a tiny proportion of prisoners had progressed to Leaving Certificate or beyond.”

“Investment in education is therefore vital to promote the educational and social development of children and young people.”

“The current recession is likely to disproportionately impact on disadvantaged children and their families. If we do not provide appropriate educational supports, we are losing huge potential among our young people and we run the risk of having to pay much more later on in terms of spending on social welfare, health and prisons, while tax revenue will also be greatly decreased. Investment in education is an investment in the future of the country."

Kathleen Lynch, Head of Equality Studies, UCD examined the immortality of inequality in the Irish education system.
“Inequalities in the outcomes of education in Ireland are all too often taken as a given. We accept as ‘educationally inevitable’ that students with more economic resources will do better in education than those with fewer resources.”

“The government has allowed institutionalised injustices in education to persist over generations: it expects schools to supplement basic educational services with so-called 'voluntary contributions' that they know poor parents cannot afford; it allows schools for the privileged to charge fees in addition to being funded by the State; and most recently supported the introduction of non-curriculum based tests for entry to higher education, the HPAT (Higher Professional Aptitude Test) for medicine and the MSAP (Mature Student Aptitude Test) for mature student entry in UCC and UCD. These tests are of dubious educational value and are a new barrier for lower-income students for higher educational entry. Proficiency on the tests requires practice and insider knowledge that is only available to those who can buy it. The HPAT is also highly problematic in gender terms.”

“To create a more equal educational system we need not only to eliminate inherited inequalities that actively promote injustices in access, participation and outcomes within education, we also need to avoid compounding existing injustices with new ones. And we need to recognise and own the immorality of inequalities in education that consigns so many students to a sense of failure on leaving school.”

“To have equality in education, we need to have equality in the wider society. There is a need to challenge the belief that people have entitlements to incomes or wealth that are several multiples of what other people have, and to have schools and educational resources that are far superior to what are available to others.
Data from many countries shows that the lower the level of income and wealth inequality, the lower the level of educational inequality in a given society. To claim that one is promoting equality in education without addressing economic injustices is to engage in an act of educational and political delusion.”

Sally Anne Kinahan, Assistant General Secretary, ICTU highlighted the achievements of our European neighbours in investing in education and up-skilling.
“The Government is reducing the prospects of recovery by its failure to introduce effective measures to preserve jobs and protect those most vulnerable to long-term unemployment, particularly workers with low education attainment.

Congress has consistently pointed to the achievement of countries such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and France, which have intervened to save jobs whilst at the same time investing in educating and up-skilling workers to prepare for economic recovery and future growth.

Investment in education – from early childhood development to workplace learning – is the most effective panacea to overcome social disadvantage and inequality, improve life chances, employment prospects and earning power.”