Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “notes that: — considerable savings of €90 million were required in the education budget for 2013; — the Government’s commitment to fairness in education remains strong and considerable efforts were made to protect frontline education services through the protection of pupil-teacher ratios in free second-level schools and the 28:1 staffing schedule at primary-level, continued protection of overall numbers of Special Needs Assistants and resource teachers and the maintenance of overall staffing and funding for disadvantaged ‘Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools’ schools; and — in raising the pupil-teacher ratio for Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses to 19:1, the Government brought it to the same level as that which applies in all free second level schools; recognises that: — PLC courses are for adults who have completed formal second-level education and that the current pupil-teacher ratio of 17:1 is in fact more favourable than the pupil teacher ratio in typical free second-level schools; and — this budget measure will not impact on the overall number of approved PLC places available to the unemployed or to school leavers; and recognises the Government’s commitment and resolve, as outlined in Pathways to Work, to tackle the serious unemployment crisis by: — continued investment in over 430,000 part-time and full-time places across the further and higher education and training sectors in 2013, all of which are open to unemployed people including young people and the long-term unemployed; — the introduction of 16,500 new flexible re-skilling opportunities specifically for unemployed people in areas of emerging skills needs under the Springboard and Momentum initiatives, with a further 5,000 places planned for 2013; — initiating the most significant reform of the further education and training sector in it’s history through the establishment of SOLAS – the new further education and training authority; — embarking on a major programme of related education reforms, through the amalgamation of the three qualifications bodies, the planned abolition of FÁS and the amalgamation of the 33 Vocational Education Committees into 16 Education and Training Boards; and — commencing a major reform of the public employment service, through the creation of Intreo, which will help to ensure that unemployed people, in particular the long-term unemployed, can quickly access the most appropriate activation opportunity.”- (Minister for Education and Skills).

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