I welcome this opportunity to discuss the Education Estimates for the year 2000. This committee provides an important forum to reflect on education policy and priorities and the allocation of resources. These Estimates are the first of the new millennium and the first Estimates in the context of the National Development Plan 2000-2006.
The plan lays the foundation for Ireland's continuing economic and social development. It sets out the Government's ambitious development strategy, supported by a multi-annual investment commitment in the key areas of infrastructural development and the productive sector, the promotion of social inclusion, education and training. As Minister, I am deeply committed to the development of education in Ireland. Education is the engine which drives the Celtic tiger. It is through education that we as a people now have the wealth and resources to develop a truly inclusive society. That is what the Government is doing. We have never in our history invested as much in education as is being invested this year. We have made education a top priority for our term of office. On my appointment, I set as my key priorities the urgent tackling of literacy, numeracy, special needs and disadvantage. We will press on with major developments at the leading edge of education, research and development but this time we will ensure that those who are disadvantaged or who have special needs get extra special support and attention. We had special problems in the past but today we are making great progress throughout the country in tackling these problems and we are going to do much better.
Over the past three years, the Government has achieved success across a number of fronts in education from pre-school to adult education and beyond. We have increased the education budget to £3.294 billion, a 43% increase on the 1997 Estimates, and increased the provision for capital projects in the education sector to £423 million, an increase of 350% over the 1997 budget allocation for building projects and new equipment. We have provided £32 million this year for third level research and development activities in addition to the moneys available in the education technology investment fund when, as recently as 1997 there was no targeted funding for research and development activities in higher education. We have also provided £2.5 million this year as part of a £12 million programme for enhancing the resources in schools for teaching the physical sciences, including chemistry, physics and science. We have provided £13.35 million this year for the largest ever programme of teacher in-career development, which represents a 100% increase on the 1997 allocation, and, in addition, 60,000 teacher training days on ICT since the beginning of 1999 have been provided as part of the schools IT 2000 programme.
We have enacted the first ever Education Act and implemented many elements of the Act, undertaken a wide ranging review of school attendance legislation culminating in the Education (Welfare) Bill which is progressing through the Oireachtas and published the first ever Teaching Council Bill and the first ever White Paper on Early Childhood Education, which is a blueprint for the development of early education. We have allocated an additional 2,500 first and second level teaching posts and will allocate a further 1,500 teaching posts over the course of the Partnership for Prosperity and Fairness. We have reduced the pupil-teacher ratio to 18:1 at second level and 20.4:1 at primary level and ensured that every child with special needs in every school has access to remedial teaching. We have also ensured that every child with a special need has an automatic right to have this need met in the education system and that, since September 1999, the pupil-teacher ratio in all special schools and special classes catering for children with disabilities has been reduced to the level recommended by the special education review committee.
We need to broaden and deepen our culture of research and innovation. This is a key element in ensuring that we successfully meet the global challenges which face us. Rather than simply exploiting technologies developed elsewhere, we must become a world centre for excellence in research development and technological innovation. The Government has clearly set out its intentions with the sheer scale of research funding provided under the national development plan. The amount of over £500 million provided in the plan specifically for research in the education sector alone is particularly remarkable when, as recently as 1997, there was no targeted funding whatsoever for research activity in higher education.
Our ability to provide for specific skills needs as they arise is another key component in building long-term economic success nationally. The Government's response over the past two years has been rapid, substantial and flexible when dealing with identified needs in the information technology, teleservices and professional trades areas. Specifically, recent initiatives in the education area include a £75 million investment plan in response to the needs identified in the first report of the expert skills group whereby an additional 5,400 places, predominantly in the engineering and computer hardware and software areas, are being provided, a joint initiative involving the universities and IBEC in association with the Higher Education Authority and my Department whereby ,500 postgraduate places are being provided in conversion courses in the ICT area and expansion of the accelerated technician programme, which is a joint industry/institute of technology programme to 1,100 students in a range of skills shortage areas.
Obviously we have not solved all our labour supply problems. There is no magic wand that produces trained people at a moment's notice. However, the Education and Science Estimates for 2000 contain clear evidence of our continued and determined commitment in this area. In our programme for Government, we set out the objective of achieving computer literacy in all schools. The current Estimates make provision for the next tranche of funding — £7.1 million — for the schools IT 2000 project. This is one of the most ambitious State funded programmes in the world which has already begun to have a major impact. It is our intention to have a permanent infrastructure, not just of hardware and software in our schools, but also the teaching skills which will put us to the forefront of international developments. Ireland's success in attracting inward investment in science and technology based industries is a strong endorsement of the quality of graduates coming from our second and third level institutes who are entering the workforce.
The development of the post-leaving certificate courses has been one of the great successes in recent years. It has been helped enormously by the removal of fees and by the introduction by the Government of student support grants. From September onwards 24,900 full-time PLC places will be approved. I am pleased to announce that, given the success of PLC courses, I am arranging for an immediate in-depth review of the PLC sector. This review group will examine and make recommendations regarding the organisational, support, development, technical and administrative structures and resources required in schools and colleges with large scale PLC provision having regard to best practice in related areas in other countries.
The total number of apprentices now registered nationally is 23,000. My Department has initiated a massive investment programme to provide extra workshop capacity and has also provided significant additional funding and staffing resources to address the training needs of apprentices. As a result of these measures, the total number of apprentices catered for in the education system has increased from 4,000 in 1997-8 to 6,700 in 1998-9 and to 7,200 in 1999-2000. Next year it is planned to have places available for 8,500 apprentices. In addition, for this summer my Department has arranged special courses to provide training for 700 apprentices, bringing this year's apprenticeships to almost 8,000. Everything possible is being done in co-operation with the institutes of technology to meet the increased demand for apprentice training places. I am making whatever resources are required available to ensure that this vital area of training is fully supported.
Despite the successes and economic developments of recent years, the Government is keenly aware that much remains to be done. I am especially concerned at the continuing evidence of literacy and numeracy difficulties in children leaving Irish schools and in the population generally. This cannot be allowed to continue. As I mentioned on a number of occasions, I have made this a particular priority for my time in office. We have always prided ourselves on the quality of our education. Yet, despite the high quality of our teachers and relevant education and training programmes, there are unacceptable levels of illiteracy in the population. I want to ensure that no child will leave primary school without an adequate standard of literacy and numeracy. I am fully committed to developing effective strategies to address literacy problems at all levels. Every citizen must be equipped with the basic skills they need to allow them to participate fully in and contribute to society.
My objective is to raise standards of literacy and numeracy by beginning at the levels of individual children and individual schools. In allocating resources, I plan to focus particularly on the lowest functioning pupils and on the schools where the largest proportion of pupils achieve at a very low attainment level. It is in these cases that the increased resources I am making available can make a significant improvement in educational outcomes. With these children and in these schools we must focus on reading. Reading is still the main avenue to education and occupational and social success. Reading is essential not only to success in our daily lives but also to further learning throughout life, which is vital to our economic and social development. The Government already has a range of strategies in place to support those pupils who are low achievers or who have serious difficulties with learning or numeracy.
The revised primary curriculum places a major emphasis on the development of literacy skills. It focuses especially on the prevention of reading difficulties and on the development of emerging literacy skills. It also focuses on the development of phonetic awareness in pupils and is being supported by a comprehensive programme of in-service education for teachers. By the end of this month, all teachers at primary level will have completed intensive in-service training to tackle literacy as part of the new programme of in service for the revised curriculum.
The remedial teacher is the backbone of our strategy for addressing the needs of pupils with serious learning difficulties. Since the Government took office, we have significantly increased the number of remedial teachers in our schools. There are 1,463 remedial teachers allocated to primary schools. They provide coverage to every primary school in the country. We have also increased the number of remedial teachers in second level schools. There are now 560 whole-time equivalent posts in second level schools. Since September 1999 the remedial teacher service has been extended to every first and second level school in the country with a pupil teacher ratio of 10:1 or more. Schools with lower ratios are free to apply to my Department for remedial support where they can demonstrate a need for the service.
I will shortly announce new guidelines to assist teachers in tackling literacy difficulties and in helping the children concerned. Since taking office, this Government has undertaken an unprecedented level of development in special education services. Arising from a Government decision in October 1998, all children with special needs within the primary system now have an automatic entitlement to a response to their needs and appropriate to their disability and location. The response may take the form of resource teacher support or child care support or both, depending on the particular needs involved. Already, as a result of this development, the number of resource teachers in the primary system has been increased from 104 in 1998 to 450 at present. The number of special needs assistants helping children with special needs has been increased dramatically, from 299 to 1,095, over the same period. I will continue to allocate further resources in response to need.
The Government established a national educational psychological service agency with effect from 1 September 1999, with services being developed on a phased basis over five years. Our objective is to ensure that all schools have access to the service over the next few years. As part of this process I have increased the number of psychologists in the service from 43 to almost 100 with effect from September next.
The Select Committee will be aware that an international adult literacy survey of 12 countries conducted in 1995 and published in 1997 provided a profile of literacy skills in adults aged 16 to 64. The survey found Ireland scored badly in the overall literacy tasks and indicated a serious problem in functional literacy among Irish adults. It showed that early school leavers, older adults and unemployed people were most at risk from literacy difficulties, with participation in adult education and training being least likely for those with poorer skills. The response of the Government has been quick and comprehensive; provision in the education sector for adult literacy was increased substantially from a base of £0.85 million in 1997, when the Government took office, to £.7.825 million this year. The national development plan provides for an investment of £73.8 million in coming years in adult literacy, which will be supplemented by £1 billion investment under a back to education initiative, providing for an expansion of part-time, Youthreach, PLC and VTOS options. This will become an important bridge.
Regarding disadvantage, I am conscious that we must make education more responsive to and inclusive of individuals who are less advantaged than those with special needs or who have left the system in previous years without having access to the range of opportunities available today. They deserve a second chance. This year almost 13,000 people are participating in second chance education. To tackle disadvantage effectively, we need an all encompassing strategy and we need to intervene early. We must raise awareness of the benefits of early childhood education and we must assist parents in helping their children to learn and develop, raising standards in early education provision and giving priority to those most in need of assistance. I am preparing a multi-sectoral three year programme which will assign a massive £193 million to support people at risk or who are experiencing educational disadvantage. The funding will be assigned at pre-school, primary, post-primary and third levels and in lifelong and continuing education.
I have commissioned a survey of all primary schools by the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, and that work is nearing completion. The purpose of the survey is to identify those children who are at higher risk of educational disadvantage and early school leaving. I am making significant staffing and financial resources available in September to support those children who are at risk.
These Estimates contain substantial provisions for a wide range of measures across the education system and provide massive additional funding for social inclusion measures and curriculum reform and modernisation. This is in line with our agreement with the national partners. If I was to summarise the Government's objective for education I would say we want more people to achieve a higher level at every stage, ranging from pre-school to postgraduate work. This is predicated on the idea that high quality education is central to promoting an inclusive society and developing a high skills, highly paid, knowledge based society. The priority is to provide resources where those resources are of most benefit to our students. Provision for education in these Estimates will enable me, together with the many people in the education sector, to maintain and improve the quality of education and to make substantial progress in implementing key provisions of the national development plan and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.
I commend the Estimates to the Select Committee.
