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02 Nov 2025
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02 Nov 2025
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A Kilkenny community has been left ‘horrified’ by the removal of funding for education courses.
The withdrawal of all funding for Back to Education Initiative (BTEI) courses at Callan’s Droichead Family Resource Centre is being described as ‘raising barriers to education’.
Locals say the courses are too important to let go and essential for rural Ireland. Hundreds of students have participated in the courses in Callan over many years.
A campaign to save the funding has been taken to the offices of the Tánaiste and Minister for Education, with the demand: “Get this decision reversed immediately.”
A spokesperson said KCETB continues to liaise with SOLAS, the state body that oversees the further education and training sector, regarding funding.
KCETB ‘welcomes the resumption of services as funding becomes available’.
For the past 18 years Droichead FRC has partnered with BTEI to offer accredited training courses to the community of Callan and surrounding areas.
“To our horror we received notification last week that all funding has been cut and the BTEI are pulling out of Callan for the next two years at least,” Carmel Egan, a Family Support Worker at Droichead FRC told The Kilkenny People.
“Adult educational opportunities are already limited in rural areas. This move is very frustrating for existing learners who are primarily from disadvantaged and marginalised groups and unnecessarily causing more barriers to completing and advancing their studies, by removing access to education in their community.
“Many of the learners only returned to education as it was based in Callan. This in turn will have a significant impact in terms of outcomes for children and families in our community and will lead to long term literacy struggles.”
Over the years, courses have been held in childcare, healthcare, computers, care of the elderly, ID physical activities and English as a second language.
There were eight to 15 people in each class.
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