Louth community education sector calls for reversal of consecutive funding cuts

Community education transforms lives, strengthens communities and is experiencing a continuing increased demand, yet funding, learning and centres in Louth are under threat, according to AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation of Ireland.

It is calling on the Government to address an imbalance in funding that has resulted in community education learners receiving only 2 per cent of the Further Education and Training (FET) budget, despite them making up 20 per cent of all FET learners.

AONTAS has announced a week of action to highlight among politicians, decision-makers and the public the value that community education in Louth and across Ireland adds to society, and the urgent need for a sustainable funding model.

Taking place 22nd-28th September, learners and providers across Louth and Ireland will take to social media and write to politicians to highlight the benefits of community education to neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities across Ireland, and the transformative impact it has on people’s lives.

Commenting on the threat to community education in Louth, CEO of AONTAS, Dearbháil Lawless said: “In our pre-Budget 2026 submission, we have outlined how despite FET Skills Development Funding having risen over the past three years, receiving over €677 million in 2025, an increase of 9 per cent on 2024, community education providers in Louth are still operating under significant financial pressure, going above and beyond to meet the needs of learners in their communities, but without sufficient financial resources, support or recognition.

"Nationally, funding for community education was also reduced from 2023 to 2024, with only 2.12 per cent of the FET budget for this period allocated for community education learners, despite them comprising approximately 20 per cent of all FET learners. This is not a proportionate allocation of funds, and it does not reflect a prioritisation of learners with the highest level of educational needs.”

Preliminary findings of new qualitative research by AONTAS show the role community education plays in creating a more inclusive society, including by:

• Providing access to those who are less likely to engage in other forms of education;
• Acting as a lifeline with far reaching impacts on personal and community wellbeing;
• Fostering integration and belonging in the community, particularly within the context of the rise of racism and misinformation; and
• Promoting inter-generational and family benefits, with children of parents or grandparents engaging in learning.

Ms. Lawless added: “Community education supports the Government’s own ambitions for a fair, inclusive, and sustainable Ireland by providing a space where underserved and under-resourced communities and more vulnerable or marginalised groups of people in Louth, including older people, disabled people, migrants and refugees, and Travellers, among others, are supported through a holistic approach to learning.

"I am calling on the Government for fairer and increased funding for community education by allocating 3.5 per cent of the total FET budget in 2026 and four per cent in 2027. This funding must be sustainable by being ringfenced and guaranteed to providers on an annual basis.”

For more information about AONTAS, visit www.aontas.com.