A CAP on the number of students entering higher education may have to be considered because of the funding crisis in the sector, the Department of Education has acknowledged.
Background documents show the department also considered the abolition of the school transport scheme and a 10 per cent reduction in the number of special needs assistant posts.
Officials also discussed an increase of up to €1,000 in the student contribution charge – and a new system where students taking costly courses like medicine and veterinary would pay more than those taking general arts or business degrees.
The department is also critical of what it claims are the high levels of pay for teachers.
On higher education, the department predicts a 45 per cent increase in enrolment by 2020 and a virtual 80 per cent increase by 2030.
It concludes: “Reductions in public funding of institutions may have to be balanced with increased student contributions, if quality is to be maintained. Otherwise it is likely that capping student numbers will have to be considered as an interim option.’’
The department also considered the abolition of the school transport scheme and its replacement with a grant-aided scheme. Expenditure on school transport has risen by 249 per cent in the period 1997-2008, while the number of children transported on an annual basis decreased from 157,000 to 123,000 this year.
On pay, it says teachers in Ireland are ranked by the OECD as the second best paid among 33 states at primary level. At second level, teachers in Ireland are ranked as the third and fourth best paid in the OECD.
Even allowing for GDP variations, Irish teachers were still paid relatively better than primary teachers elsewhere.
The department argues that the high pay levels are limiting its capacity to improve the education service. “The level of resources available for non-pay funding to schools and for the number of teachers that can be employed within the overall funding available is lower by comparison with other countries.’’
On special needs, the department says a 10 per cent reduction in the number of special needs assistants – a reduction of 1,058 posts – would yield savings of €34 million per year.
But it also acknowledges that the consequences of reducing levels of SNA support generally could be that “some children with special educational needs would not be able to attend school”.