If the situation in Ireland isn’t bad enough our current Minister for Education is proposing drastic cuts across all areas of the educational system. The recently release OECD report
concluded:

1. Ireland spends less on education, spending only 4.7% of it’s GDP in education, compared to an average of 5.7% across 30 OECD countries.
2. At second level only one country in the EU, the Slovak Republic, invested a lower proportion of its GDP on students in secondary school.
3. Irish primary schools have the 2nd largest class size than all the other EU countries surveyed. There are 4 more pupils in Irish classes than in other EU countries.
4. Only Britain has larger class sizes in the entire EU.
5. Only Britain, Japan, Korea an dturkey have bigger classes than Ireland.
6. Although these statistics are grim the situation in reality is much worse because statistics are gathered from the Department of Education and Science skews its statitics on class size.

And things are about to get worse: class size is set to increase next year. Perhaps 2000 teachers will lose their jobs as a result of budget cuts.

In special education the situation is dire. Cuts are proposed in Language Support teachers, the closing of special education classes (with no extra supports provided in the mainstream), reducing the number of Special Needs Assistants and increases in class size at both primary and secondary level.

Things are bad and getting worse!