Educate Together is calling for the Government to live up to its stated targets for Ireland’s education system and to properly resource that system via a range of targeted and improved supports to schools, management bodies and to the state’s education budget.
In its 2024 pre-Budget submission, Ireland’s equality-based school patron proposes that the following changes need to be implemented to properly address the challenges faced in the Irish education system:
- Prioritise education: Bring education budget investment in line with the OECD average of 4.5% of GDP
- Re-balance school patronage: Invest in the State’s reconfiguration programme
- Fund primary schools: Maintain the primary school capitation grant at €258 per pupil, as announced in Budget 2023
- Support school volunteers: Increase voluntary management body grants by 50%
- Invest in inclusion: Provide funding to re-balance school provision
- Pilot Nurture Schools in Ireland: Establish a national Nurture Schools pilot and support schools to implement a Nurture approach
Commenting on the need for investment in Irish education, Educate Together CEO Emer Nowlan said:
“Educate Together’s proposals today represent the minimum required to properly address the challenges faced in the Irish education system, so that we can support every child and young person to reach their full potential and build a strong, cohesive and prosperous society. Ireland’s schools have remained chronically underfunded for far too long – the time is right for the Government to invest in re-balancing our education system to bring it into line with the needs of students today.”
Education in Ireland must be properly resourced so that every child and young person can access an inclusive and quality education in their local area, no matter what their background or educational needs.
