Press release
Ministers Foley and Madigan announce that Budget 2021 brings significant increase in investment in education
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Building on the initiatives set out in the Programme for Government, the budget for the Department of Education will be €8.9 billion in 2021, an increase of €410 million or some 5 five per cent on 2020.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said:
“This government’s first budget demonstrates clearly our commitment to, and support for, schools and our students. With this significant new investment, we will continue to improve the experience of our children in education, and provide improved practical supports, particularly in light of COVID-19.
“I am delighted to announce that I have secured in this Budget the funding to reduce the pupil teacher ratio and class sizes.
“1,065 more teachers will be hired under today’s budget measures, benefiting our primary, post-primary and special schools and this includes assisting primary schools to retain existing teachers.
“Significant funding has been provided to ensure we can meet all of the commitments in associated with hiring more teachers and to meet the costs of implementing agreed pay deals for teachers and other school staff.
“The Budget includes an additional allocation of €226 million which will be provided to schools to meet costs relating to COVID-19. This allocation represents the balance of the €437 million package approved by Government last July as part of the Roadmap for the Reopening of Schools. This funding will be used to sustain school reopening, the replacement of teachers and non-teaching staff unable to attend for work due to COVID-19, additional release days for principals and deputy principals, and enhanced cleaning regimes and PPE equipment in the current school year.
“Funding is also included for the continuation of additional educational psychological services to provide for wellbeing supports for students and additional COVID-19 supports for the transport of pupils on the school transport scheme. However, this funding excludes the additional costs to the scheme, that are being incurred in the implementation of current public health recommendations for reduced capacity on school transport for post-primary students. Provision of this funding on a cost-recovery basis has been agreed by Government in recent weeks.
"As with other COVID-19 related spending, funding for the academic year 2021/2022 will be reviewed in line with the latest public health advice available. In this regard, a central contingency reserve is being allocated in the 2021 Budget by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which includes funds earmarked for schools for the remainder of 2021 that is, from late August to December 2021."
Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Social Inclusion Josepha Madigan TD said:
“The budget for special education is now €2 billion. As the first dedicated Minister in the area of special education, I am pleased that this budget includes additional dedicated supports for this important group. Many will have found the restrictions this year incredibly difficult and will have needed additional assistance in returning to school.
“I am delighted to have secured further supports, including 400 additional teachers for students with special educational needs both in mainstream schools and in special schools.
"There will also be a further significant increase of almost 1,000 additional special needs assistants. SNAs play a vital role in meeting the care needs of students every day in classrooms across the country. Their role is all the more important this year as students with special educational needs readjust to school life under changed circumstances. These additional SNA posts recognise the additional needs that students face this year.
"Furthermore, long-term reform of special education will continue and funding has been secured for this. The rollout of the school inclusion model pilot to two further Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) areas will help to pave the way for a fuller rollout of the new model itself. This will see additional therapeutic supports, including speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, made available to more schools in Ireland. In addition, I welcome the additional supports provided in this budget for social inclusion measures more generally.
"The budget for special education represents over 20 per cent of the total education budget. It is reflective of the important role that special education plays within our education system and as the Minister in this area I am determined to see this maintained."
Some of the key features of Budget 2021 in primary and post-primary education include:
New Teachers
This Budget has further reduced the primary staffing schedule by one point, bringing this to a historically low level of 25:1. In addition, there has been a three point reduction in the retention schedule, which will assist schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. Overall, 1,065 new teaching posts will be created. Of the new posts:
Special Education
Social Inclusion
New and Improved School Buildings
Gaeltacht Grants
Creativity, Music and Arts in Education
School Transport
Public service pay and pay and pensions generally
Minister Foley said:
“I am pleased to have been able to secure significant additional funding for our schools across a range of areas. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to focus on a critically important area: the classroom.
“We are increasing teacher numbers, we are retaining posts that might otherwise have been lost and we are continuing to invest in building new schools and improving the existing stock.
“We are making further significant improvement in the area of special education through additional teacher posts and additional special needs assistants and the expansion of a more inclusive model for pupils with special educational needs. Additional DEIS supports will also help our most disadvantaged students. We are continuing to support our schools, our teachers and of course our students as they cope with COVID-19.”
ENDS
Main features of the Education and Skills Budget 2021 can be viewed here.
A €437 million package was approved by Government last July as part of the Roadmap for the Reopening of Schools. The comprehensive funding package and plan provided required supports and clear guidance for primary and post-primary schools to return safely in the new term.
This encompassed over €375 million for a range of measures for schools, including funding to employ replacement teaching staff, SNA and administrative staff; to provide primary schools with substitute staff; funding for additional supervision of students; enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures; additional release days for teaching principals and a new measure to provide deputy principals with some release days; a capital allocation to support schools to prepare their buildings and classrooms for reopening, including an uplift for schools with students with special educational needs; funding to employ an aide to prepare for school re-opening; and funding provide release time for each school to have a lead worker representative, whose role is to support the school to manage the risk of COVID-19 infections.
Funding related to further and higher education is being transferred to Vote 45 of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.