The Minister for Education has pledged to make "significant inroads" into ridding the State of sub-standard primary schools in the coming year with a 15 per cent increase in spending on new buildings and renovations.
Mr Martin announced an overall 9 per cent increase in 1998 education spending. While the actual spending comparison for the Department of Education shows a 4.7 per cent increase next year, this excludes £200 million in "technical adjustments" and allocations to the new Education Technology Investment Fund. This breaks down into a 9 per cent increase for primary education, a 6 per cent rise at second level and a 7 per cent rise at third level.
Spending on buildings and renovations in secondary schools will rise by 25 per cent. Around £40 million will be spent on building projects in both the primary and secondary sectors.
The Minister's confident presentation of the 1998 education estimate yesterday dispelled any doubts about his ability to continue the success of his predecessor, Ms Niamh Bhreathnach, in arguing for sizeable increases in education spending at the Cabinet table.
The total 1998 spending estimate is £2.36 billion compared to actual spending in 1997 of £2.27 billion, a 4.7 per cent increase. This excludes two major "technical adjustments": firstly, the transfer of £68 million from next year to this year to enable local authorities to be paid for higher education grants currently, rather than in arrears. The Minister promised that this should result in the more efficient payment of grants to students.
Secondly, it excludes £33 million transferred from next year to this year, to allow secondary teachers to be paid fortnightly instead of monthly in line with teachers in other sectors.
One area where spending is sharply down is in-service training for teachers, which is cut by 14 per cent on actual spending this year. Part of this can be attributed to the sizeable amounts spent on training courses in the past year for the Relationships and Sexuality Education programme.
Mr Martin also announced a new £5 million fund for scholarships, travel and other expenses for people involved in research and development projects at third level colleges. The first £100 million instalment of the Education Technology Investment Fund, announced last week, is also included in the 1998 estimate.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment gets an increase of 17 per cent, reflecting its enhanced role in implementing new curricula and in proposing further changes in the area of new technology, oral languages and the Junior Certificate.
There is also a 12 per cent rise in spending on public exams at second level, an area where public confidence is seen as crucial. It will go towards improving appeals mechanisms and security measures and the greater use of information technology. Mr Martin said final 1997 spending figures would be significantly up on the year's Budget allocation due largely to the purchase of land for future developments, particularly in third-level colleges, and the increase in college places this year to meet skills shortages.
Some £5 million has been spent on buying land for Tallaght RTC and the proposed Blanchardstown RTC in Dublin, and £2.85 million has been spent in order to extend Galway RTC. An extra £13 million has been spent on providing 2,000 extra college places, the Minister said.
However, he said the payment of grants to Post-Leaving Cert students was still being considered by the Cabinet.
The primary teachers union, the INTO, said the small increase in the capitation grant for primary schools was a "huge disappointment". The union's general secretary, Senator Joe O'Toole, said the increase would not amount to more than £5 per pupil per year, and pointed out that the primary capitation grant was still less than half the capitation grant for post-primary schools.
However, Mr O'Toole welcomed the extra money for substandard school buildings which could "allow a significant improvement in the structural deficiencies of schools". The main secondary teachers' union, the ASTI, welcomed the introduction of fortnightly pay. Its general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said the union had campaigned long and hard to obtain this, noting that it now meant secondary teachers would be paid on the same basis as every other public service worker.
However, he said teachers would be disappointed there had been no move to reduce class sizes, which would "represent the single greatest contribution to improving opportunities for students in schools."