Education spending must be preserved as a priority, says Independent TD Catherine Murphy

Reports that the Government are to consider drastic cuts in Post-graduate funding are “deeply worrying.”

NUI Maynooth

Press Release – 14 November 2011

Catherine Murphy TD (Ind – Kildare North) today called upon the Government to clarify their intent with regard to Education spending in the upcoming budget and to give a commitment that funding for post-graduate courses will not suffer drastic cuts.

“Reports yesterday that post-graduate funding may be eliminated entirely by the Government give even the most hardened austerity advocates pause to reflect.

“The importance to our recovery of a properly funded fourth level sector cannot be overstated. The social and economic effects of a new brain-drain would be devastating. Given the numbers which avail of state support of some kind to engage in post-graduate education, such a draconian cut would certainly be felt immediately and harshly.

“For a government which placed job-creation at the very centre of their economic strategy, such a move would indeed make very little sense. While savings must certainly be made, it’s of critical importance that the chorus of cutting does not become an unquestioned anthem. Some areas are too important to cut so deeply – Education chief amongst them.

“I strongly urge the Government to reassure the thousands of Irish people hoping to embark on post-graduate research that they will not see the drastic reduction or elimination of their supports.”

ENDS

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Posted by admin on November 14, 2011. Filed under Education,Job Creation & Unemployment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry