With educators crying foul over the introduction of water charges in Irish schools in recent weeks, most people will be confused as to why the introduction of water charges to State run schools would be such a big issue for educators. Surely, as schools are State run, the final bill will fall to the Department of Education and the State anyway, so where's the beef?

Well, while schools are State funded, time and again we have seen that schools across the country can't rely on Government funds to meet their requirements. Schools don't have a carte blanche on how money allocated will be spent and most schools hold various fundraisers to cover costs.

It has been claimed that a 300 pupil school already only receives funding that meets 60 per cent of its overall costs with parental contributions making up the difference. Following December's Budget, the Irish National Teacher's Organisation (INTO) said that Education was the first casualty, with the real increase in spending just two per cent. The water bill issue had yet to raise its head.

Under the new water arrangements, schools will have to pay €3 per year per pupil enrolled to cover last year. This will rise to €3.50 per pupil this year and €4 per pupil next year. Water charges will have to come out of schools' annual budgets.

Therefore, educators can quite rightly claim that already underfunded schools will have to redirect money from educational purposes to cover the cost of water, which will have to be paid to the local authority. This can only mean even less funding for core educational activities.

It would also seem that the Government's solution to the problem is to pass the buck to local authorities, which may have no choice other than to pursue schools for the water charges to meet their own budgets.

While questions still remain about the new charges at a local level, Education Minister Mary Hanafin released a survey on school accommodation needs for South Galway on Monday. Music to local ears, if what's planned pans out, but it does take the focus off the water issue locally.

It's hard to see how the Government can be serious about reducing class sizes or even improving education in this country, as stated in its electoral promise, when it gives little with one hand and takes the equivalent or greater with the other.

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