My reaction to the publication of the Estimates was mixed. As chairwoman of the (Statutory) Educational Disadvantage Committee, I was pleased to hear the Minister for Education state his priority to assist the most disadvantaged people in the system. The Estimates reflect this commitment insofar as none of the special programmes targeted at educational disadvantage have had their budgets cut.
But this does not mean pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds will be unaffected. Most special programmes are targeted at relatively few urban schools with a high concentration of such pupils. But more than 60 per cent of educationally disadvantaged pupils live in small towns or rural areas. Much additional support and help provided for such pupils is funded from their schools capitation grant. Since there will be no increase in the standard rate of capitation grant next year, such support could well be the first casualty of the reduced grant.
Media reports have already commented on the effects the cuts in the capital building programme will have on primary and secondary schools. Schools in disadvantaged areas are least able to withstand such cuts since they do not have access to private funding to the same extent as more advantaged schools.
The increased allocation of €2.7 million (11 per cent) for adult literacy and community education programmes and the extra 6,000 places in the Back to Education Initiatives are welcome, as is the decision to proceed with the setting up of a national access office. But funding cuts for third level institutions and the decision to slow down capital investment, are causes of considerable concern.
Recent media discussions have given the impression that higher education is the preserve of the wealthy and the privileged and that there have been no improvements in the proportion of students from lower socio-economic groups, despite increased funding and the abolition of third-level fees. This is not the case.
The National Survey of Access to Higher Education by Prof Pat Clancy has shown, for example, that in 1980, only 3 per cent of young people from an unskilled manual worker background entered higher education; by 1998 this proportion had risen to 21 per cent. All third level institutions now provide a range of special supports for students from low-income families.
At University College Cork, for example, those students receive special tutorials, books and some extra funding to assist them to compete on an equal basis with their peers. But for the 40 per cent of our students getting local authority grants, there will be no increase in the level of what is already an inadequate grant. These, and many other students above the grant-eligibility threshold, cannot afford to buy textbooks, or computers or other learning resources. They depend on the library, computer facilities and other university resources - resources which will be seriously affected by proposed grant reductions.
In his speech, the Minister referred to the requirement for colleges "to effect economies across all areas of activity". These "economies" will have a disproportionate impact on low-income students, who can least afford to make up the budget shortfall through private means.
The decision to cut capital expenditure at third level will also have serious consequences. Recent university building programmes in Ireland have relied heavily on private funding, with almost 50 per cent of capital costs provided by private donors. The decision, signalled in the Estimates, not to proceed with agreed building projects has already undermined the confidence of such donors. In a number of cases, donors have made it clear that private funding will not be released until the Government delivers on its commitment.
Research funding is also seriously compromised in the Budget. The "pause" on funding for cycle 3 of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions means some projects are in limbo. In some cases staff have been appointed but there is uncertainty in relation to the provision of the associated equipment and laboratories.
This does not give confidence that a coherent Government strategy is being followed for research. Has Government lost sight of the extent to which wealth creation in a knowledge society depends on quality research and teaching in higher education institutions?
It has been recognised nationally and internationally that Ireland's recent economic success was largely due to our well-educated population. It is clear that in the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, our economic future will be even more dependent on the research and education conducted in our universities. The most worrying aspect of the Estimates is that an area crucial to our future prosperity is now facing a reduction in investment which will further erode Ireland's international competitiveness. This must be reversed in the Budget.
