Mayo VEC facing battle as cuts loom

Mayo VEC facing battle as capital and job cuts loom


Neill O’Neill

THE Mayo VEC has been asked to save three per cent of its current expenditure on administration and support in 2009 – whilst also implementing a pay increase of 3.5 per cent to non-teaching staff from September next. However, the VEC has also been informed that it will receive no extra funding for this, and will have to fund the pay increases through savings. In effect, Chief Executive Officer of the Mayo VEC, Dr Katie Sweeney, informed last week’s committee meeting that this means a four per cent saving will have to be made by the VEC in Mayo next year, prompting Chairman, Pat Kilbane, to describe the situation as  ‘the biggest threat to the VEC since the threat to abolish us in the mid-nineties’.
Initially, these savings were not to affect centres of learning, but according to the VEC, this now appears to have changed – and all 32 VEC centres in Mayo will feel the pinch, with non-front-line teaching staff and special needs assistants being affected.
Other revelations at last week’s meeting of the Mayo VEC were that the cap placed on PLC places – 30,188 at present nationally – will lead to people being turned away from further education, and that approximately 322 teaching posts will be lost in the VEC sector across Ireland by the increasing of the pupil/teacher ratio in October’s national budget. In Mayo, there will be a small reduction in teaching staff in the VEC sector. A further 98 VEC teaching posts, classified as disadvantaged, are also under threat nationally by this, while changes to grant schemes in the national budget will see €2.8 million removed from the budget available to VECs around the country.
The finance department of the Mayo VEC has not yet been able to quantify what the impact of the budget will be financially for them, but expect it to be substantial, with Pat Leyden, Education Officer at Mayo VEC, telling The Mayo News that the cut-back could be in the region of €1 million.
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) is currently trying to get the limit on places available on PLC courses lifted, but no response appears to be forthcoming from the Department of Education, despite a recommendation in the National Development Plan to raise the number of places on PLC courses. There are around 350 people on PLC courses in Mayo at present.
The reaction of members of the VEC committee to all this news was one of unanimous disappointment. Tony Deffley said that having people locked out of jobs whilst also preventing them from gaining access to PLC courses is a recipe for social unrest.
“The fact that the PLC courses are filling up means there is demand,” he said, “yet they are locking the door on those who want to re-train and do something productive during the economic downturn.”
Castlebar town and Mayo county councillor, Johnny Mee, said it is extraordinary and unfair that almost two months after the budget so much ambiguity over its potential negative impact still exists.
“Teachers are in limbo,” he said. “There has been a renaissance in vocational education in Mayo and it would be a tragedy if anything were to interfere with this.”
Mayo county councillor, Jarlath Munnelly, added that all learners will be affected and that the Mayo VEC would have to start printing money to implement a pay increase without extra funding.
“There is no point in being political about this, we must work it out as a committee.” he said, before Castlebar town councillor, Eugene McCormack, called for a proposal condemning the cuts and seeking their reversal to be adopted, with Mary Kelly suggesting that this be circulated to all other VEC committees in Ireland for adoption.
Opining that the administrative and other staff of the Mayo VEC are not lesser people than the teachers, Seán Staunton said that he did not believe there would be a reversal, but that a protest and strong soundings may prevent worse cuts next year.
Chairman of the Mayo VEC Committee, Pat Kilbane, concluded the discussion by saying that the Department of Education had not been receptive so far to the concerns of the IVEA, and that there are indications of a further five per cent cut being sought over the next academic year.
“This is the biggest threat to the VEC since the threat to abolish us in the mid-nineties,” he said. “Our system of education will be diminished by this. We have a fight on our hands and are fighting for our students and their families.”