A CONTINUED emphasis on retaining students in the second level cycle, the reduction of pupil teacher ratios at first level, and increases in the third level Estimate to account for greater student numbers are among the underlying factors in the 1997 education Estimates.
Spending on education will increase by £100 million in 1997. Overall spending will rise to £2,295 million next year, a 4.5 per cent increase on the 1996 Estimates.
The first level budget is increased by 3 per cent, from £707 million to £725 million, despite the fact that the number of pupils enrolling in primary schools is expected to fall by 11,000 between 1996 and 1997. According to the Department of Education, the additional funds will enable it to continue to reduce the pupil teacher ratio at primary level to 22:1 in 1997.
The capital building programme at first level remains static at about £21 million.
The 3 per cent increase at first level was described as "very disappointing" by Senator Joe O'Toole, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation. He said the Irish primary system was one of the most underfunded in Europe and the Estimate widened the gap between primary sector funding and other educational sectors.
He criticised the failure to increase significantly funding fur special education projects or capital development, despite a recent INTO report which named 47 primary schools in "atrociously substandard condition".
At second level the vote increases from £861 million to £889 million, with increased investment concentrated on ensuring that students remain in education. The Department's target is to have 90 per cent of second level students remaining in second level until their Leaving Cert year the figure is currently 82 per cent. Adult education will receive £43 million, more than twice the 1992 level. Capital funding will remain at its current level of £30 million.
At third level, the vote increases by 10 per cent to £573 million.
Much of this can be accounted for by the increase in the numbers going on to third level education. Ireland has the fourth highest number of graduates at degree level in the EU, relative to population. In 1992, there were 81,000 students at third level. This is expected to rise to 102,000 in 1997/98.
The increase at third level also includes a rise of 13 per cent in non capital grants to universities, colleges and designated institutions of higher education and a slight increase in programmes to alleviate disadvantage.
Capital grants for universities drop by 3 per cent, while those for the regional technical colleges, the Dublin Institute of Technology and certain Vocational Education Committees, increase by 2 per cent. While the Estimate does contain a provision for a 25 per cent increase on 1996 figures in the level of funding for Higher Education Grants, the size of the apparent increase is accounted for by an advance payment of around £20 million to local authorities in 1995.