The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) is calling for next week’s Budget to reverse cuts which have been most damaging to marginalised students. TUI has identified cuts to guidance counselling provision and middle management positions such as year head as having been particularly damaging within the school community.
The union has also highlighted the continuing problem of casualisation and the funding and staffing crisis in Institutes of Technology. The union is also calling for the application of an additional 1% of corporation tax to tackle the funding crisis at third level.
Reversal of cuts to guidance provision/middle management structures
‘Young people face significant challenges in modern Ireland,’ said TUI President Gerry Quinn today. ‘However, it has become increasingly difficult for schools to make timely interventions to support students struggling with aspects of their education or even a personal crisis.’
‘As a result of cutbacks, vital posts such as year head have been lost and schools have had to reduce the provision of guidance counselling to students. The capacity of schools to identify and appropriately respond to the personal, emotional and educational problems of individual students has been greatly restricted.’
‘An embargo on the filling of middle management posts has been in operation since 2009, and schools’ dedicated, ex-quota guidance counselling provision was removed in September 2012.The ESRI’s Leaving School In Ireland Longitudinal Study, published last year, highlighted the key role of guidance counsellors as a source of support for students from working-class backgrounds. The report drew attention to constraints on time for guidance counselling, particularly for more personalised, one-to-one discussion.’
‘Ahead of next week’s Budget, we are urging the Minister to prioritise the interests of those students in poverty on the margins of society who have been worst hit by the effects of the recession by reversing the cutbacks that impact worst on them, specifically cuts to guidance counselling provision and middle management positions.’
Casualisation/Differentiated pay scales
‘It is completely unacceptable that up to one third of TUI members at second level (and up to half of those under 35) are in temporary/part time employment, with many experiencing income poverty as a result. To compound this inequality, new entrants to the profession since 2011 have been placed on discriminatory, differentiated pay scales. To continue to attracting the best graduates to the profession, and to allow young teachers and lecturers to develop sustainable careers, we need to urgently return to a position where all appointments are on a permanent and full-time basis, as is the case in other areas of the public service. We note and welcome, for example, the decision to provide secure, wholetime employment for graduate nurses.’
Staffing crisis at third level
‘Since 2008, there has been a 34% decrease in funding for the Institute of Technology sector at a time when student numbers have risen by 20%. Over the same time period, lecturer numbers have been cut by in excess of 10% as a result of the public service staff moratorium and Employment Control Framework. This has resulted in significantly higher levels of work related stress among lecturers and larger class sizes and less one-to-one attention for students.
Greatly increased staffing levels are required to restore appropriate standards of provision to students and to meet the challenges presented by legislative and structural changes such as the proposed move towards technological university status for some institutes. Clearly, any restructuring will fail if attempted on a ‘shoestring’ budget and without the full backing of academic staff.’
Application of an additional 1% to corporation tax
‘TUI recommends the application of an additional 1% to corporation tax, this addition to be styled an Education Levy and to constitute a dedicated fund for investment in higher education. In making this demand, the TUI notes that corporations – especially transnational corporations – are primary beneficiaries of public funding of higher education and of the highly educated graduate workforce available in this country. The union notes that corporation tax is payable only in respect of profits made by companies and organisations and that, while the nominal rate of this tax is 12.5% - significantly below the international norm - the effective rate is considerably lower still. Considerations of corporate responsibility, social equity, the maintenance of public funding of higher education and the undesirability of further increasing the cost to students of participation in higher education argue strongly for a tangible and substantial contribution by corporations that is channelled through the taxation system.’
Notes to editor:
1. TUI survey on impact of cut to guidance provision, 2014
TUI conducted an electronic survey of 125 schools and colleges of further education in 2014 on the impact of the cut to guidance provision.
The survey found that:
- 64% of respondents cited curricular subjects displacing guidance and counselling since cutback
- 42% of surveyed schools/centres experienced an increase in student numbers but a decrease in guidance provision
- 91% of guidance counsellors spent less time than previously talking to stakeholders about subject choice
- 37% were ‘not at all satisfied’ with their ability to respond to the immediate needs of students, 25% were ‘not at all satisfied’ with their ability to respond to crisis situations and 29% were ‘not at all satisfied’ with their ability to support general pastoral care activity
- Practitioners felt that the role was becoming increasingly reactive rather than proactive
2. TUI survey on work related stress in Institutes of Technology, 2014
A survey carried out by TUI in December 2014 showed that lecturers in Institutes of Technology are experiencing high levels of work related stress (WRS) as a result of cutbacks and rationalisation measures in the sector. Among the main sources of WRS identified was the impact of the flex hours. These are two additional hours lecturing given per week by members for the duration of the Haddington Road Agreement, the purpose being to cater for additional student throughput. The two hours lecturing require considerable additional work in terms of curriculum development, research, preparation work and the development of assessment of examinations material.