Written answers

Thursday, 4 December 2008

Department of Education and Science

School Curriculum

4:00 pm

Photo of Joe CostelloJoe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the funding his Department provides for the leaving certificate applied curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44353/08]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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In 2008, my Department provided grants of €1.23 million to schools for the Leaving Certificate Applied programme. Schools also benefited from an equipment grant, amounting to €5,079 for each school offering the programme.

As a result of the need to make savings in Budget 2009, this grant has been abolished with effect from 1 January 2009. The budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect, the education sector, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be totally spared. Even with the budget measures in place there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

While certain grants are to be abolished, I would like to emphasise that the capitation grant for post-primary schools has been increased by 4.3%, representing an increase of €14 per pupil, to bring it to €345 per pupil from January 2009.

Voluntary secondary schools will benefit also from an increase in the school services support grant by €8 per pupil from January 2009. This will mean, for example, that a secondary school with an enrolment of 500 pupils will receive an additional €11,000 in funding in 2009. A more favourable teacher allocation ratio applies to the Leaving Certificate Applied programme.

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