The news this week that state spending on education has fallen by seven per cent will come as no surprise to the sector, which since 2011 has grown used to consistent under-funding by successive governments. What is significant, however, is that this is not the norm. Across countries in the OECD, average state spending on education rose by eight per cent over the same period.
This might puzzle a non-native observer of Irish politics, particularly during a week where the government promised to turn our education system into one of the best in Europe. Talking to primary school students at the launch of the government’s new Action Plan for Education, Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, amid hi-fives and jokes about obair bhaile, promised to help and support every child in the country throughout their education.
At the same launch, Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, said that “education has been central to the transformation of this country”. Looking around Dublin today, no one could disagree. The preponderance of technology companies and world-leading researchers captures how valuable education has been to an economy that has recovered quicker from the financial crisis than many would have thought possible.
Yet this rhetoric came with no commitment or mention of increases in funding for primary, secondary or third-level education. Despite expectations being heaped on the sector to grow and transform our country, there has been no indication that the upcoming Budget on October 11th will provide any more financial support to education.
Higher education has experienced this more than most. While simultaneously praising our third-level graduates, financial support for the same students has dwindled dramatically in recent years. Duplicity is perhaps too strong a word, but is indeed a puzzling that a government can praise the value of our university’s world-leading research, while at the same time refusing to commit to the reintroduction of postgraduate grants. At the same time, industry is increasingly propping up the students they value, with the new Trinity-Intel Talent award for STEM students offering nearly €200,000 in awards and scholarships to students.
The new action plan is a positive start, but needs to be matched with a funding solution that will ensure Irish higher education can, at the very least, catch up with our OECD counterparts.
