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At a time of unprecedented budget cuts and the possible return of third-level fees, SEAN FLYNNand PETER MCGUIREreveal the salaries of the highest earners in Irish education

OVER 75 per cent of the €8.59 billion education budget is absorbed by pay and pensions. This means that all other education services must be funded from the €2.14 billion non-pay element of the budget. Overall, Ireland has one of the lowest levels of education spending in the OECD. It is ranked close to the bottom of international league tables when it comes to spending in relation to GDP.

The consequences of this under-investment are evident throughout the sector. It can be seen in dilapidated classrooms, lack of adequate support for information technology, meagre investment in early childhood education, lack of basic school facilities, and so on.

But a striking feature of the Irish education service is the relatively high rates of pay for academics and bureaucrats – especially at senior levels.

Today’s survey of the high earners in education comes amid increasing calls for a €100,000 cap on public service salaries. Many of those featured on this page point out they have already taken pay cuts and absorbed the public service pension levy. The universities say they need to pay the best to attract the best. But the top earners also include senior figures from the huge number of education quangos.

In all, more than 60 staff in the education sector earn more than €150,000, according to The Irish Times survey. A further 476 staff earn more than €110,000. In all, 497 people are on the professorial salary scale, €113,573–€145,952.

The education sector has 95,554 full-time staff – about 27 per cent of total public sector employment. Of these, 59,000 are teachers, 10,400 are special-needs assistants and 20,000 work in third-level colleges. The cost of teacher salaries is €2.1 billion at primary and €1.9 billion at second level. The cost of pay in the university/IT sector is €1.3 billion.

A further €62 million is spent on pensions to 22,700 education staff in primary, second-level and in ITs.

Inevitably, there are other top earners within the system whose names do not feature on today’s list – some third-level colleges and other educational bodies were more cooperative than others when it came to disclosing salary details.

The figures in this survey were compiled by Peter McGuire

1 PROF DES FITZGERALD

Vice-president for research, UCD

€263,602

Fitzgerald may be Ireland’s highest-paid academic but he has actually seen his salary fall from €409,000 in the past year, as UCD came under pressure to justify his exceptional pay packet.

Headhunted from the College of Surgeons, UCD says research income has more than tripled under Fitzgerald’s watch. Critics say his salary level is inappropriate in a university facing severe budgetary cuts and one with debts of more than €12 million.

2 PROF FRANK GANNON

Director general, Science Foundation Ireland

€259,697

Gannon leaves SFI at the end of the year after being headhunted by the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane. He made a major impact on national science policy, including at Cabinet level. Described as a key asset by Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe, his departure is regarded as a huge loss.

A spokesperson said that Gannon’s salary level is “required in order to secure the services of a uniquely qualified individual with the necessary international scientific reputation and managerial experience, to deliver on the ambitious agenda the Government has entrusted to SFI.”

3 DR MICHAEL MURPHY

President, UCC

€232,151

The highest-paid university president in Ireland. Last year, former education minister Batt O’Keeffe asked the seven university presidents to take a pay cut but they have not responded to this request. UCC has debts of more than €10 million. Under Murphys tenure, UCC has routinely outperformed both UCD and Trinity College in the battle to secure research funding.

A spokesman for the college said that the presidents salary is HEA-approved and reflects his previous clinical background. The president also retains a special adviser, Eamonn Sweeney, who earns €118,000 per year.

4 PROFESSOR TOM BEGLEY

Dean, School of Business, UCD

€231,575

Begley’s role as dean of the UCD School of Business means he oversees the undergraduate Quinn School and the graduate Michael Smurfit School. The Smurfit MBA held its top 30 spot in the Financial Times European chart this year. The school also came in 98th in the global rankings. With more than 3,000 students and 30,000 alumni, the UCD Business School has a long reach into Irish corporate life.