The Government recently announced a €13.2 million cut to the vocational education committee (VEC) sector, along with an increase to the pupil-teacher ratio at post-Leaving Cert (PLC) level.

This move has sparked controversy at a time when there is an increased focus on directing jobless people into a variety of education or training programmes.

Some colleges have pointed out that the real number of teachers who are likely to lose their jobs could be significantly higher, given that many work part-time.

The City of Cork VEC is due to lose 24 posts, for example, but colleges locally claim that as many as 50 jobs are at risk.

Staff at one of the colleges in the city – St John’s Central College – have been warned that as many as seven of its courses, ranging from veterinary nursing to software engineering, may be lost as a result of the changes.

Students at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa are already campaigning to save 13 teachers who will potentially lose their jobs, including three staff from the college’s renowned performing arts department which has produced grad

The country’s largest further education college, the Cork College of Commerce could lose 22 part-time teachers who deliver courses that lead to jobs, while St John’s College could possibly lose up to 15 specialised teaching staff.

It seems clear that the Department of Education doesn’t understand what further education does. These cuts will close courses that actually lead to jobs in industry and will put both teachers and students on the live register.

The Government is being completely short-sighted and creating more debt for the Exchequer by transferring the problem from the Department of Education to the Department of Social Welfare.

(Source: based on media reports in the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo plus emails from principals)