Education is the single greatest driver of opportunity, quality of life, social equality and economic growth
The Social Democrats will today (Sunday, November 17) outline proposals to make education genuinely free; aim to remove faith formation from the school day; and provide emotional supports in schools for primary and second-level students.
The party’s education policy will be launched by Gary Gannon (Dublin Central candidate), Cllr Jen Cummins (Dublin South-Central candidate) and Cllr Ronan Moore (Meath West candidate).
The policy commits to making primary and secondary education truly free by fully funding all school textbooks, the school transport scheme, and removing the need for voluntary contributions. For third level, the student contribution charge will also be phased out and SUSI grants increased.
There is also a strong focus on the mental wellbeing of students. The Social Democrats will aim for a situation where, by the end of one term of government, all schools will have at least one specialist emotional counsellor/therapist on staff.
Other proposals include establishing a DEIS-plus scheme; continued professionalism of special needs assistants; a phasing out of the use of prefabs; the funding of hot meals in every school; and the full restoration of posts of responsibility in primary and secondary schools.
The party also wants to reduce the teacher allocation ratio to 20:1 and 18:1 at primary and secondary level respectively.
Gary Gannon said:
“The Social Democrats believe education is not just about the accumulation of knowledge – it is about the holistic development of each child so they can reach their full potential and engage positively in society.
“Education is the single greatest driver of opportunity, quality of life, social equality and economic growth. However, there can be no equality of opportunity in our education system without also understanding and addressing the disadvantages some children experience at home.
“That is why we believe that investing in the emotional wellbeing of students by recruiting specialist counsellors or therapists in our schools would be hugely beneficial.
“We also want to remove faith formation from the school day. The Catholic Church owns 90 per cent of Catholic schools and efforts to divest have been a spectacular failure. This disproportionate number of Catholic ethos schools means children, of different or no faiths, often have to remain in the classroom while faith formation occurs.
This is discriminatory, a breach of their rights and must end. A Citizens’ Assembly on this issue will be required to chart a way forward.”
Cllr Jen Cummins said:
“All the research suggests that well targeted investment in education is paid back many times over, with young people having better life outcomes, including further education and training, working, participation in cultural, sporting and leisure activities, and connection in their communities.
“And although there have been some recent improvements, the cost of education remains too high, and many children are still being left behind.”
Cllr Ronan Moore said:
“Ireland has a strong track record on education, with one of the highest school and third level completion rates in Europe.
“However, we are failing to invest adequately in our school infrastructure and people. In many primary schools, including in my own constituency of Meath West, this is resulting in some classes having to share teachers between them.
“The Social Democrats believe in a well-resourced, modern and inclusive education system that puts the wellbeing of students and staff front and centre. The policy we are launching today provides a roadmap to how we can achieve this.”