No easy options and education cannot be sheltered from cuts, says Coughlan

MINISTER'S SPEECH:THE STATE will have less to spend on public services for the foreseeable future but there were "no easy options and no easy decisions" in working to safeguard the economy and the banking system, Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan told INTO delegates yesterday.

Amid some heckles and booing from a minority of delegates, Ms Coughlan said the Government viewed the proposed deal on public service reform and pay as a “reasonable basis to move forward”. But she had no intention of interfering with internal union debates on the issue.

The Minister acknowledged it was not possible to shelter education completely from any further spending cuts. “For me to do so would be dishonest, given that the bulk of public expenditure is accounted for by health, education and welfare.”

But she said the revised programme for government – which promised no further increase in class size – underlined the Government commitment to investment in this “key area”.

The Minister’s speech was punctuated by frequent heckling and booing from the floor. About 100 delegates held up placards critical of the Government’s economic policies.

Ms Coughlan warned against the creation of “dangerous divisions” in Irish society. “The phoney division between public sector Ireland and private sector Ireland so regurgitated by the commentariat must be dispelled. The reality is that each is reliant on the other and that this is a difficult time for everyone living in this country . . . These unhelpful divisions can damage our shared sense of purpose and solidarity.”

The recently-appointed Minister also signalled her determination to boost the quality of education. This follows concerns raised by US multinationals and others about declining standards.

“The underlying strength of a system must also be rooted in continually seeking improvement wherever possible . . . both external evaluation and honest self-evaluation within schools and their communities are important.”

On the banking crisis she said: “The most frustrating fact for all of us at this point is that, despite the difficult choices of the past year, which were taken to place ourselves on the correct path, we are still not yet ‘out of the woods’. We have more to do to fully stabilise our public finances.

“The reality is that this country will have less to spend on public services for the foreseeable future. This is a fact and we cannot afford to underestimate the challenge it will pose,” Ms Coughlan said.

The Minister said she was also angry about the decision to commit so much capital to the banking system.

“But believe me also when I say that there is no other more cost-effective or rational option available to us to secure the viability of our financial and banking systems. I know this because of the days and days we have spent in Cabinet considering all possible available options. The bottom line is that we need to get credit flowing in our economy again.”

On school patronage, she promised to seek wide input into a debate of significant national importance. “It is extremely important that we have a wide debate on the topic and move with ‘open eyes’ in a considered way to deliver the change appropriate to modern Ireland.”

The Minister also paid tribute to outgoing INTO general secretary John Carr who stepped down at the conference. “He has been a major force not only within teaching but within the wider trade union movement. It is no exaggeration to say that his wisdom and principled common sense will be a great loss.’’