Editorial – Cut carefully

THIS is one of the two weeks in the year when education is guaranteed a place in the news headlines. In August the Leaving Cert [private]results put the country into a paroxysm of points calculations; in Easter Week it's the triad of teacher union conferences that grabs the attention. The new Education Minister, Ruairi Quinn, started on a positive note before he spoke a word. He is driving himself to the conferences in Sligo, Cork and Tralee and if that is not a firm indication that money is to be saved on a personal ministerial level by this government, then nothing is. At the time of writing, Mr Quinn had spoken only to the primary school teachers' union. He was straightforward about not being able to afford to reverse cuts, but he is also on record as saying that this government is going to be more thoughtful about how it saves money. He pledged that it would not be the old blunt instrument of 'five per cent off everything'. That is a hopeful sign. It has been said that education is as important as healthcare in this country. And despite the parlous state of certain areas of the health service, it could even be argued that education is more important than health. This is simply because all observers, in every country, agree that people who are better educated tend to be healthier. A report by our own Institute of Public Health found that low education level is associated with increased risk of death from lung cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases, as well as illnesses including back pain, diabetes, asthma, dementia and depression. The report also found that improving educational outcomes among the most disadvantaged groups can help reduce health inequalities. The evidence is there: if there must be cuts in the education budget due to the disgraceful gambling debts of the bankers, they must be very carefully weighed. Disadvantaged groups like Travellers, people for whom English is not their first language, and those in the lower socio-economic groups, can least afford to have their educational opportunities reduced.[/private]