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Budget 2017 Education Update


Posted by SchoolDays Newshound, on 11/10/2016. Budget 2017 Education UpdateTags: Education And Politics Teachers Parenting


Education spending within the Budget of €9.5 billion represents 16% of total spending and an increase in spending of €458 million.

Here is a summary of Budget 2017 released today as it impacts on the Education Sector: 


  • An additional 2,500 posts in schools of which 900 will be resource teachers.  

  • Early years funding will rise from €345 million in 2016 to €465 million in 2017, an increase of 35%.

  • A new childcare scheme for 6 - 15 years will be set up from September.  While it appears there will be a subsidy made available to all parents, it appears as if there will also be a means testing element.

  • An extra €36.5 million will be made available for the higher and further education sector next year.

    Press Release from Department of Education

    Over 2,400 extra teachers to be hired in 2017 through Education budget – Minister Bruton
     
    Start of major programme of reinvestment in education, and an important step on the road to becoming the best education service in Europe

    Work to commence immediately on a new multi-annual funding model for higher and further education, to build on today’s announcement of the first significant additional investment in higher education in a decade - €36.5million in 2017 and €160million over the next 3 years

    Budget 2017 represents the start of a major programme of reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade, the Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton TD said today.

    The Department of Education and Skill’s budget will increase by €458 million (5.1%) in 2017 compared to the allocation for 2016 announced in last year’s budget. More than 2,400 extra teachers will be hired in 2017 – a 3.5% increase – as a result of the additional measures announced in Budget 2017. The total education budget for 2017 will be €9.53 billion, in excess of 16 per cent of total spending. Minister Bruton announced the details of the Education estimate for 2017 at a press conference in government buildings.

    Key items in the Budget include:

    Additional posts in schools:  2,515 additional posts in schools in 2017, including 900 additional resource teachers and 115 additional Special Needs Assistants. The remaining 1500 posts are additional mainstream teaching posts arising from various initiatives.

    Higher education:An initial additional €160million in total current funding is committed to higher education over three years, the first significant expansion in Government spending on higher education after a decade in which such spending was cut by 33%, with measures in 2017 including:

  • Over 3000 students from disadvantaged groups will benefit from an additional package of €8.5million to support more disadvantaged students, including lone parents and Travellers, to attend higher level. This includes the introduction of full maintenance grant (worth almost €6000) from September 2017 for 1100 postgraduate students in the lowest income category.
  • New targeted initiatives to provide skills, and additional flexible learning places
  • Funding to commence a New Frontiers Research Programme and a new initiative to attract world-leading researchers in the context of Brexit
  • For the first time in recent years, specific additional funding is being allocated for 2017, 2018 and 2019 to cover the impact of increasing enrolments. Funding for 2017 will support 179,000 full-time enrolments
  • Provision for expansion in apprenticeship
  • Provision to implement the new International Education Strategy and increase the value of the sector by €500million per year and attract 37,000 additional students by 2020
  • On top of this initial three-year funding commitment, the Government will work with the aim of putting in place a new comprehensive and ambitious multi-year funding package for the sector from 2018. As part of this, the Department will undertake a review and consultation with the aim of developing a multi-annual funding model for higher and further education and training. This will include consideration of an Employer-Exchequer investment mechanism and will complement the Oireachtas Committee’s consideration of the Cassells report 

    School leadership – a new package of support for this crucial area, including additional deputy principal posts for larger second level schools and middle management posts for primary and post-primary schools. The commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model means that we will now be able to lift the rigidity of the longstanding moratorium on these posts at primary and post-primary levels.    This recognises the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive, accountable and focused on high quality teaching and learning.

    Additional capitation: Capitation investment for an estimated 11,000 additional students, to keep pace with demographic growth.

    Disadvantage: Provision to implement the new Action Plan for Disadvantaged Schools which will be announced before the end of the year, including additional measures in areas like school leadership, teaching methods and clusters to improve the outcomes for students in these schools

    Guidance –The equivalent of 100 additional guidance posts by September 2017. The 400 guidance posts which have now been restored (out of 600 which were previously cut) will be allocated separately and transparently and outside of the quota on the schedule of posts.   

    Curriculum Reform – provision for our programme of curricular reform in 2017, including Leaving Certificate economics, politics and society, and physical education. Provision is also being made for the allocation of individual professional time for teachers of Junior Cycle, where the new framework is being fully implemented, and the appointment of 550 additional teachers. 

    Capital –€690million total capital allocation for 2017, an increase of €95 million on 2016 allocation announced in last year’s budget, to deliver up to 20,000 additional school places. This investment will support almost 8,000 construction related jobs.

    Small primary schools – Initial changes in this area including an extra teacher for all one-teacher island primary schools; and capacity for one-teacher mainland schools to apply to the staffing appeals board for an extra teacher where the single teacher has children across 6 or more class groups.  

    Industrial relations: Among other measures in this area, the Minister welcomed the allocation of funding implement the recent agreement reached with the TUI and INTO on salary increases for new entrants since 2012. TUI and INTO. The Minister again indicated his willingness to conclude a similar agreement with ASTI to benefit newly qualified ASTI teachers, within the Lansdowne Road Agreement.


    Comments

    SchoolDays

    (12-10-2016 08:33)


    Press Release - ASTI Response to Budget

    Budget does not address significant
    funding deficit at second level

    Budget 2017 does little to reverse the austerity measures imposed on schools in recent years, according to ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie.

    In 2006 the OECD Economic Outlook: Report on Ireland provided strong evidence for investment in education in Ireland, said Mr Christie. Instead of investment, second-level schools endured years of savage cuts which have had a significant negative impact on the running of schools and the delivery of education services to young people. Now that we are being told the economic crisis is over, it is only reasonable that the cuts to personnel, funding and services would be restored in full. The additional teachers announced in Budget 2017 is noted, albeit many for demographic reasons, however the reality is that much more needs to be done.

    ASTI notes the gradual restoration of the ex-quota guidance counsellor provision for schools (which was abolished in Budget 2012), however the union expressed disappointment that full restoration has not been achieved. ASTI research has demonstrated the destructive impact which the abolition of ex-quota guidance counsellors has had on school and students. As a result of this particular cut many schools have had to reduce students access to one-to-one counselling and other guidance services. If we are to value our young people, then schools must be given the resources needed to support health and wellbeing, said Kieran Christie.

    Mr Christie said the failure to restore the pupil teacher ratio (which was increased from 18:1 to 19:1 in 2009) is extremely disappointing. Schools lost between one and three teachers as a result of this cut, and many schools had to reduce subject choice for students.

    He also pointed out that Budget 2017 does not address the inadequate capitation grant for second-level schools. Actual investment in each second-level students education in Ireland is less than the OECD and EU average.* The inadequate capitation grant leaves many schools in the position of having to operate on a shoe string with endless fundraising activities. This is not addressed in Budget 2017.

    The ASTI General Secretary said the Budget does not provide for the full restoration of cuts in pay and allowances for teachers. In particular the ASTI is committed to achieving the full restoration of the common basic pay scale and allowances for recently qualified teachers, said Mr Christie.

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