Educate Together has called for the Government to live up to its stated targets for Ireland’s education system and to properly resource that system via a range of targeted and improved supports to schools, management bodies and to the state’s education budget.
The school patron proposed that changes need to be implemented:
1. Invest in education: increase the overall education budget to bring investment in line with the OECD average of 4.5% of GDP;
2. Eliminate school inequalities: increase the primary school capitation grant by 50%;
3. Support voluntary initiative: increase management body grants by 50%;
4. Fund school patronage transfers: invest in the Government’s reconfiguration programme;
5. Invest in inclusion: provide sufficient multi-annual funding to re-balance school provision;
6. Pilot Nurture Schools in Ireland: invest in resourcing appropriate staffing and skills to implement the Nurture approach in Irish schools.
Educate Together CEO Emer Nowlan said: “We believe the time is now to invest substantially in Ireland’s education system. Educate Together’s proposals represent the minimum required to address the challenges in the education system, so that we can support every child to reach their full potential.”
