A large number of schools may be forced to reassess their classroom resources due to reduced budgets in recent years.

Research by the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) revealed 60 per cent of establishments say they are financially worse off now than when the recession began, the Irish Examiner reports.

Around a third stated they had seen no change in their budgets, while just nine per cent claimed their situation had improved.

Director of the IPPN Sean Cottrell said: "The recession has brought about a perfect storm of declining voluntary contributions and government funding [as well as] rising utility and supplies costs."

He added this has left many schools deeply in debt and urged the government to reconsider its decision to cut capitation funding and allow school boards to bring in professional help to manage budgets.

Nearly a quarter of principals favoured asking parents for contributions to help meet costs, while 18 per cent thought teachers should cut back on their learning resources.

Last week, minister Alan Kelly told RTE's The Week in Politics show smaller schools may be forced to share teaching resources with nearby establishments in order to cope with reduced budgets.

Written by Donal Walsh
 

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