Record investment in Education and Skills with hundreds of new teachers and more than 1,000 additional special needs assistants
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Budget 2020 provides the fourth successive year of major reinvestment in our education and training system.
Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, said:
“Amidst the unknowns of Brexit and the constraints this has imposed on Budget 2020, we must ensure we remain dedicated to doing our best for the most vulnerable and continue to invest in education for future generations.”
Building on the initiatives set out in the government’s Action Plan for Education, the budget for the Department of Education and Skills will be a record €11.1 billion in 2020, an increase of 3.4% on 2019.
This demonstrates our commitment to continue to create an inclusive and empowering education system. Our focus is on enhancing the educational opportunities of all young people and adults.
Budget 2020 continues this government’s significant investment in recent years for children with additional needs. It builds on the drive to reduce class sizes. It gives more flexibility to principals who teach. It provides new funding for higher education. It sustains small schools – the lifeblood of communities. It guarantees new and improved school buildings and facilities in colleges and universities.
Investment in education and young people is a cornerstone of this government’s policy.
Over the four budgets from 2016, the total funding package for the Department of Education and Skills has risen by almost €2 billion.
Some of the key features of Budget 2020 in education and skills:
Minister McHugh said:
"We have a record budget for education and skills of more than €11.1 billion. We are putting one fifth of that into special education. The Department of Education and Skills is one of the biggest investors in people. I am determined to continue to promote our inclusion strategy and the importance of special education and how it enriches our school communities."
"Our budget is investing in a way that recognises the importance of communities, by sustaining small schools, by finding new ways to invest for our children and by ensuring we empower our young people for the future."
Minister Mitchell O’Connor said:
"Since Higher Education is pivotal to underpin Ireland’s future economic success and social development, I am delighted today to announce an additional €150m package including a further €74 million from NTF investment. Higher education needs to be in a prime position to respond to the impacts of Brexit and meet our digital skills needs by enabling institutions to focus on upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning."
"A further €60 million investment under the Human Capital Initiative combined with €18 million addressing demographic pressures will provide an estimated 5,700 additional student places and help future proof our graduates. 2020 will also see the launch of a major multi-annual transformation fund of €90 million for Technological Universities, a €3 million fund to promote excellence in research and a new €2 million annual commitment to provide support for student mental health and wellbeing."
Minister Halligan said:
"It is of critical importance that Ireland maintains its traditional high standards when it comes to developing a skilled, internationally competitive workforce, particularly as we wait to see the economic impact of Britain’s exit from the EU. To that end I welcome this government’s budgetary commitment to supporting 7,500 apprenticeship registrations, diversifying the range of schemes available and putting Ireland on course to have 20,000 people in apprenticeship training by the end of 2020."
"The need for our workforce to upskill and retrain in order to meet the challenges of an evolving economy has also been recognised with €8 million in additional funding for Skillnet Ireland and €6 million for employee skills development initiatives. It is also vital that our universities and third level institutions continue to act as drivers of research and innovation in the post-Brexit landscape, so that we can build strong and progressive academic links with our international partners. I am glad to see €3.3 million being made available to our universities so that they continue to drive growth in the area of research and development and to develop academic collaboration internationally."
ENDS
The main features of the Education and Skills Budget 2020 can be viewed at the link below: