TUI has said that the most disadvantaged will suffer as a result of education cuts announced as part of the National Recovery Plan. TUI represents teachers and lecturers in second level schools, colleges of further education and Institutes of Technology.

TUI General Secretary Peter MacMenamin said: 

“We are gravely concerned by the reference to reducing teacher numbers ‘by a combination of measures’ in 2011. Many schools are already struggling to remain operational due to staffing and middle management cuts.  In addition, this would sound the death knell for the promotion of science and maths subjects in our schools. Any examination of expenditure must look at funding that is directed at privilege rather than seeking to further disadvantage the already disadvantaged. The maintenance of privilege in any sphere, particularly in education, cannot be allowed to continue.

The salary and pension cut for new entrants to the public service act as a tax on those not even yet working in the system, while the cuts on pensions for those who have already worked in the public service are a huge breach of trust.

We are abhorred that students would be forced to pay a fee to gain a place on a Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course. With tens of thousands of newly unemployed seeking reskilling and school leavers seeking to further their studies, this will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable in society, particularly in the context of the minimum wage being slashed. Many students can only commit to a one or two year course due to a variety of reasons, and this discriminates directly against them.  

Meanwhile, cuts in VEC programme grants are another  direct attack on the most disenfranchised in our communities.

The raising of the registration fee for third level and is similarly a regressive move and while it recognised by TUI that third level education is chronically underfunded, this is not a proposal that will address this underfunding. This is made crystal clear by the 5% slash in third level funding.
This plan completely fails to recognise that investment in education is investment in our future.”