Opposition politicians and student representatives have condemned cost savings of €36 million confirmed by the Department of Education this morning.
The Department confirmed an
Irish Times
report that the savings had been agreed. However, it said in a statement that "none of the adjustments . . . will result in a reduction of current levels of service".
Among the cuts are a €6 million cut in the budget for initiatives to reduce the school drop-out rate, €6.2 million in IT research and €3.8 million from adult education courses. The cuts also include €5 million from programmes aimed at attracting socio-economically disadvantaged school-leavers into third-level education, while a further €6.7 million will be saved on reducing teacher recruitment and training.
Labour education spokesman Mr Joe Costello said the savings were another broken election pledge. "With every successive day and successive announcement the Fianna Fáil manifesto becomes even more devalued," he said. "This decision will rob some children of the prospect of a better future".
His Fine Gael opposite number, Ms Olwen Enright, claimed the figures "make a mockery" of promises by the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, to invest in helping poorer students.
The Union of Students in Ireland said the "unacceptable" cutbacks would greatly affect students from disadvantaged backgrounds. USI president Mr Colm Jordan accused Fianna Fáil of reneging on pre-election promises on education.
"It is clear now that the Irish electorate were conned by a well-oiled machine who care little for the reasons they were elected," he said.
An increase in third-level charges was announced last month in a move that will raise €16 million. Added to today's announcement, the savings mean the Department have now met the €52 million in savings demanded by the Minister for Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy.