Let's make underspending on education an election issue

Teaching Matters VALERIE MONAGHANAs the countdown to this year's general election begins, issues such as health, crime and transport appear to be topping the political agenda.

While there are good reasons for these being major concerns for the electorate there are many reasons why education should also be a priority issue. Here are a few points to raise with politicians of all parties and none, when they come canvassing for your vote.

One starting point is to take the Programme for Government published in 2002, at the beginning of this Government's term of office, and review progress on the implementation of key promises made at the time. This outlined nearly two dozen educational priorities for this Government covering all stages of education from pre-school to third level.

For example, five years ago we were promised this Government would ensure that the average size of classes for children under nine would be below the international best practice guideline of 20:1.

When ballots are cast this summer, more than a quarter of all primary school children will be in classes of more than 30. Average class sizes in Irish primary schools will not be anywhere near international best practice of 20 but will be 24, the second highest in the EU and light years away from countries such as Luxembourg, Italy and Portugal. Only in England are there more pupils on average in primary school classrooms.

We were promised an expansion of State-funded early education places with priority given to a new system of funded early education for children with intellectual disabilities and children in areas of concentrated disadvantage.

To date, we have no such national system. Instead of using unprecedented national wealth to give a pre-school place to every child, money has been targeted in the main at childcare rather than education. In the early years, education and care are two sides of the same coin and both should be developed. International comparisons show Ireland at the bottom of the league of spenders on early childhood education.

The Programme for Government specifically promised significant increases in direct school funding. Primary schools are funded for essential running costs such as heat, light, insurance and cleaning on the basis of the number of pupils in the school.

This year, despite what the Minister calls the largest ever increase in this type of funding, primary schools will get €163.58 per pupil to cover these costs. This works out at less than €1 a day per child for every day that the school is in operation. How many parents could light and heat a home on that kind of funding, especially with electricity and gas prices rising at record rates?

But such meagre funding levels have at least helped to keep another promise from 2002, which was that every pupil would participate in a programme designed to increase understanding of the value and role of enterprise. It's called school-based fundraising and sees pupils raise millions every year through sponsored walks, spellathons, readathons and the like. Their very practical enterprise training covers up the shortfall on Exchequer funding.

There has been unprecedented activity in the area of school-building with new schools and the renovation of dilapidated old school buildings in every part of the country.

But despite this, there are still thousands of children in prefabricated classrooms. Many children with special needs in mainstream schools are being taught in converted cloakrooms and toilets. Most schools do not have an indoor PE facility, which means that physical education is cancelled when it rains. In many primary schools, despite a commitment to modern standards, accommodation falls far short of what is needed. And all these come at a time when the Department of Finance has billions to spare!

Which begs the question why, if there are so many unkept and half-kept promises, is education not topping the list of political concerns?

To be fair, significant progress has been made on parts of the education agenda. This Minister has highlighted and supported initiatives in special education and disadvantage and, in particular, provision for children with special needs has been transformed. Thousands of additional teachers and special needs assistants have been employed.

Substantial additional funding has been found for special schools and disadvantaged schools. A new curriculum has been introduced into schools with relatively little fuss. The vast majority of primary school pupils are happy at school and make reasonable progress.

Although much has been made about the publication of school reports, in truth at primary level these tell parents little that they do not know already. Most primary schools are small, located at the heart of communities and open and transparent in their dealings with parents. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that schools, helped by their parent communities, compensate for Government underinvestment. After all, every parent wants the best for their children and will put aside whatever objections they may have to subsidising Government under-funding when it comes to helping their own.

Why else would they support an endless list of fundraising activities from raffles and cake sales to golf classics? And schools are experts at getting corporate and charitable support for everything from computers to psychological assessments. There can be no doubt that over the last four and a half years there has been "a lot done" in the world of education. But equally, there is a lot "more to do". Now why does that have a sense of deja vu about it?

Valerie Monaghan is principal of Scoil Chiarán, Glasnevin, Dublin and chairperson of the INTO's principals and deputy principals committee