Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My focus in budget 2015 was on obtaining the additional funding that was necessary to provide for demographic growth, as the Minister of State, Deputy English, said earlier. The last budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60 million during 2015.

This funding will be used to provide 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs for our schools as well as to fund prioritised reforms, such as implementation of the literacy and numeracy strategy, reform of junior cycle and the introduction of education focused pre-school inspections. It was not possible to secure also the funding which would have been required to change the staffing schedule for primary schools, including small schools.

Since becoming Minister each of the education partners I have met have indicated their own set of priorities. In the school sector, these priorities include school leadership, pay restoration, reductions in pupil-teacher ratios, increases to capitation and the restoration of ex-quota guidance counsellors in schools, which we dealt with earlier.

Outside of the schools sector, the list of demands includes funding of third level, investment in early years and investment in technology. It is not, and never will be, possible to satisfy all the demands of the education system at one time. However, I am determined that education should be prioritised for investment as our economy recovers. In my discussions with the various stakeholders in education, I will seek to agree a set of priorities for such increased investment into the future.

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