Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Cummins as a chuid ama a roinnt liom.

Last Wednesday more than 20,000 students took to the streets of Dublin for the second time since December. Marches, protests, occupations and other activities have occurred across the State and have been met with hostility from those from whom answers are sought. Students marched in solidarity with teachers, nurses, public sector employees, those who have lost their jobs in recent months and others. They marched in protest against cutbacks not only in the third level sector but in primary and second level schools. They marched to the slogan of "No cutbacks, no fees, no Fianna Fáil TDs". While all this was taking place, the Minister was in a far-off land, at the taxpayers' expense, unable to hear the cries of 20,000 students outside the House.

The Government — Fianna Fáil and the Green Party — is solely responsible for one of the most chronically underfunded education sectors among OECD countries. The Minister made a fine speech on how investment in education will be crucial to pulling the State out of its current economic mess. Let us look behind the empty rhetoric and examine the Government's track record. The programme for Government includes a commitment to "implementing significant further improvements in the human and financial resources available to our schools". Since making this commitment, the Government has succeeded in making Ireland's primary school classes the most overcrowded in Europe, slashed funding for special needs education and abolished the free book scheme at primary level. At second level, it has abolished all grants towards physics, home economics, transition year, leaving certificate applied and more.

The Government made a commitment to "ensuring that the quality of buildings and equipment made available in all parts of the education system are significantly improved". Since making this commitment, it has failed to produce a transparent schools building programme. Boards of management, principals and teachers are completely in the dark with regard to school building applications and children still spend their school years in the most appalling conditions with no indication of whether or when they might get out of them. At the same time, the Government slashed the budget for primary school buildings in its most recent budget. The Government committed to making each element of the system more inclusive and responsive to the needs of marginalised groups. Since making this commitment, it has slashed funding for the Traveller capitation grant and for language support teachers for pupils for whom English is not a first language.

In 2007 the Government committed to developing third level institutions as world class leaders in research and development. Since making this commitment, it has impaired students' abilities even to attend third level colleges with the increase in the registration fee to €1,500. It has yet to indicate what its proposals are in regard to reintroducing fees but it has made it very clear that it is its position to do so.

I have outlined these points to highlight the pure hypocrisy and double-speak of this Government when it comes to education. All sides acknowledge the need to invest in education as part of a long-term economic strategy. However, the Government has failed to do this and instead has left in its wake a litany of cutbacks, unmanageable fees and an education sector ravaged by underinvestment.

While all this is going on and our public school students spend a wintry February in classrooms akin to a Dickens novel, three to a seat and unable to learn many modern school subjects owing to overcrowded classrooms, their parents' taxes fund the salaries of teachers in private fee paying schools to the tune of more than €90 million per year, almost the same amount being saved by this Government by increasing class sizes at primary and secondary levels.

The Department of Education and Science paid €3.9 million this year to Blackrock College, a private fee paying school. St. Andrews College, Belvedere College and Wesley College, all private fee paying schools, all received in excess of €3 million while public schools are crying out day after day for much needed investment to increase the standards in which they are forced to teach students. The Government knows well that many of these fee paying schools practice policies of exclusion and discrimination which affect children with special educational needs, Travellers and foreign nationals.

This Government is at a crossroads in terms of education. It needs to decide whether it wants to invest in the future of our children or rob them of that future. It needs to decide whether it wants to cherish all the children of the nation equally or only cherish those who can afford to pay. It needs to decide whether education is a right or a privilege. If it decides the former instead of the latter, then this Government needs to address fundamentally the impact the last budget has had on the education sector and take a new course of action.