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A whole of government approach is needed to bring down the financial barriers preventing students from progressing to higher education, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: “Last year saw a decline in students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds progressing to colleges and universities – the gap in educational inequality is widening. […]

The government must urgently intervene to prevent children from being denied appropriate school places despite clear assurances given by the Minister for Education that this would not happen, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Speaking in response to reports of an autistic child being refused a special school place because his parents contacted […]

Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has criticised the government for what she described as a disrespectful and chaotic approach to announcing new special classes. Deputy Cummins, who is the party’s education spokesperson, said: “Ministers have drip-fed information about special classes through their personal social media accounts without making an official announcement or notifying schools in […]

Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has reiterated her support for school secretaries and caretakers as their dispute goes before the Labour Court today. Deputy Cummins, who is the party’s education spokesperson, said: “I welcome today’s development that the long-running dispute involving school secretaries and caretakers will be heard by the Labour Court. This is exactly […]

The government must protect students from being ripped-off when it comes to accommodation, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Speaking in support of today’s protest, Deputy Cummins said: “Today’s cross-party protest with AMLÉ (formerly known as the Union of Students Ireland) called on the government to address the hardship faced by students when […]

Any proposal to alter Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules to allow for more frequent rent increases for purpose-built student accommodation must be strongly resisted, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins, who is the party’s spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, said: “As part of changes to RPZ rules, the Department of Housing […]

The Minister for Children’s proposed reform of the Assessment of Needs process is deeply worrying, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: “The decision to overhaul the AON process for children is deeply worrying, not least because the reform was introduced with no prior consultation with teachers’ unions, school staff, or the […]

A new report into teacher wellbeing makes clear that conditions in schools have reached a critical tipping point, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: “The 2025 DCU Create Teacher Occupational Wellbeing study shows that teachers are experiencing unprecedented pressure, with many reporting that the demands of their roles are pushing […]

The government must do everything possible to prevent a group of institutional abuse survivors from resuming a hunger strike, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins, who is the party’s spokesperson on education, said: “Three and a half weeks have now passed since these four survivors – who were wronged in childhood and […]

State negligence has led to parents footing the bill to keep our schools afloat to the tune of €23 million per year, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: “During yesterday’s meeting of the Oireachtas Education Committee, officials from the Department of Education confirmed that voluntary contributions and fundraising from parents […]