Lecturers stage protest over funding concerns

LECTURERS at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) staged a lunchtime protest last week over funding and educational concerns.

The protest, which took place alongside other similar demonstrations at institutes around the country, highlighted their “grave concerns” over a number of issues within the sector.

A statement issued on behalf of the lecturers taking part in the action stated: “On a daily basis, lecturers see at first-hand the damage that an era of austerity cuts has wreaked on the education system and the quality of experience for students.”

The statement adds that lecturers and researchers will be balloted by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) in the coming weeks on engagement in a campaign of industrial action, up to and including strike action, in order to secure a resolution to key issues.

According to the lecturers, these include the “chronic underfunding” of the Institutes of Technology, which they claim has seen a 38 per cent cut to the sector between 2008 and 2015.

They are also concerned about critically low staffing levels at a time of a steep and ongoing increase in student numbers, and the consequential “unacceptable” workload imposed on lecturers.

They claim that an extra 21,411 students, a 32 per cent rise in numbers, has occurred between 2008 and 2015 while there has been a loss of 535 or 9.5 per cent fall in full-time academic staff numbers in the sector over the same period of time.

The statement highlights issues such as “precarious” employment status, “income poverty” and and the resulting, detrimental effect of these issues on the quality of service to students, such as larger class sizes and less access to laboratories, tutorials and student support.

“This is an issue that affects all students and lecturers,” said John Dempsey, TUI branch chairman, who was one of those taking part in the protest in Dún Laoghaire.

“We see the affects of this every day in the class room where we simply cannot devote the time to get to every single student that needs help.

“We try our best and many of us work longer hours to try and get around to everyone, but there are limits.”

Mr Dempsey said there was a steady stream of students dropping out for a variety of reasons.

He added: “They do not get the help you would like to give them.”

A Department of Education  spokesperson pointed out that the education budget has increased in the last two budgets by more than €200m (€60m in Budget 2015 and €144m in Budget 2016).

“This has allowed, for example, for a cut in the pupil/teacher ratio in primary schools and the employment of approximately 3,000 more teachers, ” the spokesperson said.

“The department is also currently implementing reforms that will allow all fixed-term teachers to acquire permanent positions more easily and quickly.”

The spokesperson added: “A similar expert group looking at issues in higher education institutions, including IADT, and is currently preparing a report.”