by Kathy Masterson
THE University of Limerick is to benefit from the restoration of €25 million in capital funding to the Higher Education Institutions in Budget 2015.
Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan announced that “a major library project” at UL will receive €10 million in funding as part of the overall €25 million, which had to be withheld for the past two years.
Limerick Institute of Technology is also likely to benefit from an investment of €10 million to improve the facilities and equipment available to students in Institutes of Technology across Ireland.
At primary school level, an additional €60 million in funding in the education budget will provide an additional 900 new teachers, 480 new resource teachers and 365 new special needs assistant (SNA) posts.
Minister O’Sullivan said the additional posts “will ensure that we can provide the expanding numbers of children at school with the education they deserve”.
A further €5 million will be invested in capital funding as part of the planned three year €15 million investment to extend book rental schemes to cover all primary schools.
However, the planned €250 increase in the student contribution fee will still go ahead, as will the final one per cent reduction in pay and non-pay funding for the third level sector and the planned one per reduction in capitation payments in schools and further education.
“This Budget will see the final phase of measures required to produce necessary savings in recent years and it is my intention that the improving economic situation will pay a very real dividend to education, an investment that has enormous economic and social benefits,” said Minister O’Sullivan.
“Budget 2015 is a start in that process. Additional funding has been provided, new permanent teaching posts have been secured and momentum is maintained behind the reform agenda. These are positive developments that will be built upon in the coming Budgets.”
