Policy Priorities
The key policy priority for AONTAS is:-
The firm establishment of the adult and community education sector as a distinct sector of the education system on a par with other sectors of the system with resources necessary to plan, develop, expand and deliver a high quality flexible service to adult learners.
February 2010 - Adult Education: A Current Diagnosis & Measures for Recovery
As part of the Adult Learners' Festival 2010, Lobby for Learning Day AONTAS invited education spokespeople together with the Minister for Lifelong Learning Sean Haughey to hear first hand about a service that is overstretched and struggling to cope with the current demand from adults for education and training. At "The Adult Education Clinic" Minister for Lifelong Learning, Sean Haughey, along with Green Party TD Paul Gogarty, Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes, and Cllr Aodhan O Riordain from the Labour Party re-created the format of a constituency clinic in order to hear from providers on the ground, as well as adult learners accessing the services.
Adult Education: A Current Diagnosis & Measures for Recovery, a short paper illustrating the current demand for adult education and three measures for recovery, was launched at the event.
May 2009 - AONTAS launches new policy position paper
In the lead up to the Local and European elections 2009, and in line with changing economic circumstances, AONTAS has developed a new briefing document. The document is available for download here.
Learning Our Way Out of the Recession
Investment in Adult Learners is vital to the future growth of our economy
AONTAS is reviewing policy priorities in the context of the current economic climate. It is clear from our membership and queries to our Information Service is that there has never been a greater appetite for learning opportunities amongst adults in Ireland.
Over the past six months AONTAS has experienced a substantial increase in the amount of adults looking for information about going back to education. A huge number of those who contacted the service had recently been made redundant or unemployed.
Access to training, upskilling, or some form of adult learning is vital to stimulating economic growth in Ireland, for a number of reasons.
- If we are to move towards the 'Smart Economy', then we need to invest in a workforce which is highly skilled,
- Participation in some form of learning helps people cope with change, which is vital in the current climate,
- Learning benefits the physical and mental well being of those who take part, representing a substantial savings for the government,
- Outcomes from adult learning such as confidence, and personal development which are traditionally difficult to measure, are vital in the development of innovation, creativity and new ideas, all of which stimulate growth in the economy,
- Investment in learning opportunities for parents, particularly those who have experienced educational disadvantage, will improve the educational experience of their children and contribute to the economy in the longer term
In the coming weeks, AONTAS will be developing our local and European election campaign for 2009, where we will continue to make a case to elected representatives about the value of investment in adult learning. The local and European elections will take place on June 4th 2009.
Read our research on Investment in Adult Learning here.
Link to Publications.
Tell us what is important to you!
AONTAS will shortly consult with members in the lead up to our campaign.
If there is an issue of importance to you as a member of AONTAS, a provider of education or as an adult learner, please let us know. For more information about the local and European elections campaign, please contact Niamh Farren, Communications Officer.
Budget 2009
Berni Brady, Director of AONTAS, has called on the government to keep its commitment to lifelong learning and the adult 
paul gogarty outside leinster houseeducation sector in the light of proposed cost cutting measures.
'Over the past two days we have heard many comparisons with the situation in the 1980s' she said. 'During that time the adult and community education sector experienced huge cutbacks in funding. Economic prosperity led to a small increase in resources for the sector, but we are still picking up the pieces from that time. The cuts that were made in the 1980s set the sector back 10 years. We are now left with the impossible targets set out in the National Skills Strategy - 500,000 members of the workforce will need to be upskilled by at least one NFQ (National Framework Qualification) level by 2020 - it's practically Mission Impossible.'
Funding for the adult education sector currently stands at just under 2% of the overall annual education budget.
Learning Matters Campaign - February 2008
Learning Matters Panel 2008During the Adult Learners' Festival in 2008, AONTAS launched a campaign 'Learning Matters'. The event brought education spokespeople from each of the opposition parties together, along with Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Mr. Sean Haughey,T.D., for a panel discussion on keeping adult and community education on the political agenda. The discussion was expertly chaired by RTE's Rachael English.
Berni Brady outlined AONTAS policy priorities and introduced Michael O'Connor, from Siemens Ireland and Stephen Stewart, an Adult Learner at NUI Maynooth. Michael discussed his own experiences of returning to education as a mature student and the importance of lifelong learning in supplying an educated workforce to Ireland's knowledge based economy. Stephen offered a firsthand account of the financial barriers facing mature students, particularly the anomalies for low income earners in the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) and the Special Rate 'Top Up' Maintenance Grant.
Following these presentations, the Minister and each of the party's education spokespeople, Ruairi Quinn, Labour, Brian Hayes, Fine Gael, Paul Gogarty, Greens and Senator Pearse Doherty, Sinn Fein were offered the opportunity to put forward their party's vision for Adult and Community Education.
Priorities for Adult Education
The abolition of fees, particularly for disadvantaged and low income students in part-time higher education was unanimously supported by all of the education spokespeople. The move could be funded through increases in tax or borrowing or by cutting Education Spokespersons Pearse Doherty (SF) and Paul Gogarty (GP) at 'Learning Matters'.subsidies to private schools and the redistribution of the education budget. Minister Haughey outlined the Government's plan to ear mark €10 million to alleviate part-time fees on certain courses for workers with less than upper second level education as promised in Towards 2016. A broadening of the eligibility criteria for the BTEA to include low income earners was also endorsed by the Green's and the opposition parties.
Other supports for the adult and community education sector, outlined by the spokespeople, included the introduction of paid educational leave for workers, a call for separate funding for provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and the use of the National Pension Reserve Fund to boost funding to the sector.
Questions and Answers
The debate was then opened to the floor during a questions and answers session. Minister Haughey responded to a query regarding the review of the functions of the National Adult Learning Council (NALC) and when it might be published. The Minister assured the room that the review was not a work of fiction and he would look at publishing it very soon.
A live audience of adult education practitioners and adult learners asked questions of the education spokespersons. Other issues raised included secure funding for the Community Education sector. Minister Haughey drew attention to the €10 million allocated to Women's Community Education in this year's budget. However it was argued multi-annual funding streams would be the best way to ensure security and long term planning for community groups, as well as enabling them to recruit and hold on to quality staff. The challenges facing policy makers in relation to early school leavers and the urgent need for an increased budget for the Adult and Community Education sector from the current 2% were also raised and debated.
Election Campaign - February 2007
At the closing event of the first annual Adult Learners Festival in January 2007 AONTAS launched its pre-election campaign 'Demand Your Right to Learn' which outlined ten key priorities under the following three headings, for adult and community education.
Structures
- A Minister of State for Adult Education with a cross-departmental focus and budget
- An overarching national structure for adult and community education backed by the Government, with coordinating structures at local level, led out by the VECs.
Funding
- Increased investment in adult education of 1% of the overall education budget each year taking it to 10% by 2013, a capital expenditure budget for adult education with an initial spend of €12m, allocated through the VECs. A doubling of investment in community education and in adult literacy, and at least €45m between now and 2013 to develop and expand the Adult Educational Guidance service.
- Increased investment for the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI). People earning less than €35,000 should not have to pay any course fees to participate in the BTEI.
Supports
- Abolition of fees for part-time courses in higher education
- Paid educational leave for workers with Junior Certificate qualifications or less
- Childcare allowances as an integral part of all adult and community education programmes plus a doubling of the allowance from €63.50 to €127.00.
- Eligibility criteria for the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) revised to include low-paid workers. plus payments a full 12 months instead of the academic year.
- Establishment of the Inter-Agency Working Group on qualifications for adult educators.
- Establishment of a national forum for all parties involved in the education and training of adults with special educational needs.
Outcomes from the Campaign
- The appointment of a Minister of State with responsibility for Lifelong Learning across the Departments of Education and Science, and Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- The collection of over 1500 signatures on the 'Demand Your Right to Learn' petition.
- Over 20 parliamentary questions raised in Dáil Éireann before on the topic of adult learning.
- Stated commitments in the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour election manifestoes to abolish fees for part-time courses at higher level.
- A joint commitment in the Fine Gael / Labour strategy on tax and jobs to introduce two weeks annual paid training leave, targeted at low-skilled workers.
- The government announcement before the election that the eligibility criteria for the Back To Education Initiative (BTEI) would be changed from 1 September 2007 onwards, so that people on low incomes will no longer have to pay fees to participate in the BTEI.
- Pledges from Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party and Sinn Féin to reinstate the National Adult Learning Council if in government after the election.
- A commitment in the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael election manifestoes to provide dedicated funding for English language training for speakers of other languages
- A commitment in Labour's election manifesto to provide a dedicated annual budget for women's community education.
