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The long term strategy of focusing attention on Education Funding and the need to ‘lobby’ at a national level for an agreed % of GDP to be spent on all education, remains a long term strategy of the PPEF. There are short and medium term objectives which are particular to 2nd level which require some focus. Resources will not be our only focus in the immediate future. Our short term objective will be to come up with a vision document of where we want Education to be, and to look at how to continue to work forward in a realistic way with the resources currently available for 2nd level education.
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Oireachtas Meeting Report November 2009 (| Up to date Media items - Please read |
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Donegal Democrat - 02 December 2008 - By Staff reporter As thousands of protestors converged on Donegal Town last Saturday from the outlying roundabouts, the thriving Eskeside town witnessed the largest influx of people since the heady days of 1992 when the Sam Maguire was brought back by the men in green and gold.The assembled crowd was equally as large, equally as vociferous but on this occasion there were not words of joy, not words of celebration; these were words of anger, frustration and rejection. Schools to take a stand Leinster Leader - Published Date: 27 November 2008 - By Paula Campbell Meetings to discuss the full implications of the recent edcuation cuts for Kildare will be held all over the county next week including one at Naas CBS on Friday, November 29 at 3pm. Teachers, parents and TDs for the county are invited to take part. Meanwhile there will be a public meeting - jointly called by parents of children in schools in Maynooth- in the Glenroyal Hotel on November 27, to discuss the cuts. "The education cuts are a matter of great concern to all parents of school children in Kildare and we feel that it is important that our concerns are highlighted at the highest level," said Steven McCarthy of Maynooth Educate Together National School. And on Monday, next, 1 December, the combined Parents Associations of the primary and post-primary schools of Celbridge, Ardclough and Straffan have called a public meeting at the Setanta House Hotel at 8pm. The parents/guardians of all students, the principals of all the schools and the public representatives of these areas are invited to attend this meeting to discuss the local impact of the budget cuts on education spending.
Education cut concerns are 'nonsense' slam local FF councillorsLeinster Leader - Published Date: 27 November 2008 - By Henry Bauress TEACHERS unions have been accused of exaggerating the effects of proposed budget cuts on education to further their own ends. In a heated debate at Kildare County Council on Monday, Fianna Fail councillor Paul Kelly rejected a motion from Labour Cllr. Paddy McNamara calling on the Government to reverse its education cuts. Both he and party colleague Suzanne Doyle criticized the role of the teacher unions. Wexford People - Wednesday November 26 2008EDUCATION cutbacks in the recent Budget will be discussed at meetings to be held at three venues in County Wexford on Monday next, December 1. The debate came as parents and teachers around the county are organising public meetings this week to protest against the government's education cuts. Cllr. MacNamara told the County Council meeting the government's proposals would lead to 1,500 job losses. Cllr. John McGinley (Labour), said that St. Brigid's school in Celbridge had four classes with 34 pupils in them and it would lose two teachers. Scoil Na Mainistreach in Celbridge would lose three and St. Patrick's in Celbridge, where 85 per cent of pupils are foreign nationals, would lose three language support teachers. "Facts are facts," he said. Cllr. Kelly, described as "nonsense" some of the claims being made nationally and estimated that the cuts would bring class ratios back to the level of 2006, rising from one teacher per 28 class pupils from one teacher to 27 class pupils, the figure in 2007. He said the maximum number of jobs which would be lost is 400 but when other factors were included, this would be a net loss of about 200 posts. This would not send education back into the 19th century, he added. Cllr Kelly also poured some cold water on the argument on class size which is that some children will suffer more in large class. The Leixlip based councillor said that 80 percent of the education budget went on teacher salaries and they were higher paid than most of their European counterparts. Cllr. Kelly said there was "some scaremongering on the effect of class sizes" is being done by teachers unions. They were paid 35 percent higher than UK teachers and were one of the best paid teaching groups in Europe, he said. Their wage increases would cost €3 million this year. He said the cuts would not apply to the most disadvantaged schools, which represent half of all primary and a third of all secondary schools. Fine Gael, Labour and independent councillors did not agree. Cllr. Brendan Weld (FG), who serves on school management boards, supported the Labour motion. Parents have been contacting him and one told him the cuts would set education back twenty years, he said. Cllr. John McGinley (Labour) said the figures of 1,500 losses was supplied by school principals. He said for once he agreed with Michael O'Leary of Ryanair that Bertie Ahern had squandered the wealth of the country. But Fianna Fail members responded again. Athy based Cllr. Martin Miley thanked the Minister for the new 400-pupil school in Athy. Cllr. Fionnula Dukes (FG) said a lot of very good things were done in recent years but there was also a lot of waste. To call for the pain of cutbacks being shared, Cllr. Michael Nolan (FG) said his eight year old son and five year old daughter should not have to share the pain. "My kids did nothing to deserve this," he said. Fianna Fail Cllr. Suzanne Doyle said she "resented the mechanism the teachers used to get support". Teacher work practices have led to cost increases. "It is protectionism of bad practices," she said. Cllr. Senan Griffin (FG), a retired Maynooth Post Primary school principal, said it was "shameful" that the Government had consistently promoted science and the numbers taking physics and chemistry as a subject but the first thing they did was to cut the school budget to pay for materials. Cllr. Kelly said that during his school education he was never in a class with less than 32 pupils and it never did him any harm. Ten years ago, he argued, there were no special needs teachers. Now there are 10,000 of them. Cllr. Paddy McNamara (Labour), a third level engineering lecturer, whose motion was passed by a majority of the Council, dismissed what he described as Cllr. Kelly's "Alice in Wonderland" account. Meetings to discuss the full implications of the recent edcuation cuts for Kildare will be held all over the county this week including one at Naas CBS on Friday, November 29 at 3pm. Teachers, parents and TDs for the county are invited to take part. Meanwhile, there will be a public meeting - jointly called by parents of children in schools in Maynooth - in the Glenroyal Hotel on November 27, to discuss the cuts. "The education cuts are a matter of great concern to all parents of school children in Kildare and we feel that it is important that our concerns are highlighted at the highest level," said Steven McCarthy of Maynooth Educate Together National School. On Monday, next, 1 December, the combined Parents Associations of the primary and post-primary schools of Celbridge, Ardclough and Straffan have called a public meeting at the Setanta House Hotel at 8pm. The parents/guardians of all students, the principals of all the schools and the public representatives of these areas are invited to attend this meeting to discuss the local impact of the budget cuts on education spending. However, there was some good news on the education front in South Kildare last week. On Friday last, Churchtown National School held the official opening of a three classroom extension with Bishop Eamonn Walsh as the official guest. On the same evening the keys of the new primary school which will house a section of St Patrick's Primary school were handed over to the school authority and on the same 25-acre education campus work began on Monday morning on the new Athy College after a nine-year campaign. Parents, teachers and students are invited to attend protest meetings in the Ferrycarrig Hotel, Wexford at 6.30 p.m.; the Horse and Hound, Ballinaboola at 7.30 p.m. or the Ashdown Park hotel, Gorey at 7.30 p.
The Anglo Celt - Wednesday, 26th November, 2008 12:00 - Sinead Hogan The country is up in arms over the budgetary cuts in education, but these “drastic” measures will cause particular problems for the four national schools and four post-primary schools in the Cavan town area, according to Cavan Town Councillor Des Cullen. The Labour representative’s motion at last week’s meeting, that the council call on the government to reverse the massive cuts in the recent budget in particular the decision to increase class sizes, won widespread support from his fellow members.The ratio increase from 18 pupils per teacher to 19 per teacher, means not just larger classes, but that schools are liable to lose one or two teachers, Cllr. Cullen pointed out. As a teacher in Cavan’s Royal School and a representative of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI), he noted problems for local schools that currently enjoy a great multi-cultural ethos due to cutbacks, as well as special needs education, cuts in the books programme and adverse effects on the curriculum. “I think it was a difficult budget, but if we want to build an economy, we have to start with the youth and build it from the bottom upwards,” said Cllr. Cullen, who stated that he had protested in Molesworth Street, Dublin with representatives of all sections of society including teachers, parents and pupils. Cllr. Eamon McDwyer was in firm agreement. “If you don’t invest in education, you will fall back and no economy can afford that,” he said, noting that he spoke as a grandparent of schoolgoing children. “The things they’ve done to save a couple of shillings are absolutely laughable... Every Irish person should be very concerned because our future depends on how our children are educated. No grounds make this acceptable,” said the Fianna Fáil councillor. Cllr. Terry Argue spoke about the importance of education in the long run. “It’s not a fortune that’s involved here and it’s a pity that it involves children,” he said. “We need to do the best we can for them in their formative years, because we can’t change problems later on. This will manifest itself on the streets of Ireland in years to come,” added the Fine Gael councillor. Chairman of the council Paddy O’Reilly pointed out that the most vulnerable in society would be affected by the cuts, as well as teachers, who “will be heading for the Social Welfare offices or the emigration boats”, he noted. The council agreed that they will write to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe, to call for the cuts to be reversed. _________________________________________________________________________ The Irish Times - Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Protestant schools face additional cutbacks PROTESTANT SCHOOLS appear to be battening down the hatches and cutting spending in response to recent Budget cutbacks. Like all schools, they must absorb the reductions in grants and substitution payments. But for them, the pain goes deeper. Without prior notice, a special support services grant paid to 21 Protestant schools across the State was withdrawn on Budget day to achieve savings of €2.8 million. And the pupil-teacher ratio for Protestant fee-paying schools has been increased from 18:1 to 20:1. Many of the schools say their current budgetary position is unsustainable. Much of the pain will have to be absorbed by parents through higher fees as schools struggle to balance their books. Without grant aid, some children may be deprived of their right to a Protestant education. Inevitably, the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio will see the loss of teaching posts and new restrictions on subject choice for pupils. In targeting these schools, the Department of Education has tapped into the lazy stereotype that somehow, because they are Protestant, they exist in a well-to-do environment and are less deserving of resources. In fact, most of these schools are struggling to balance their books and many of their students are less than well-heeled. At Bandon Grammar School in Co Cork, for example, about half of the student body receives financial support and some 12 per cent pay no fees whatsoever. If this was Northern Ireland, members of the Dáil would be alleging discrimination if it was happening to the schools of the Catholic minority. The Budget has trampled on a proud tradition, stretching back more than 40 years, where this State sought to support a minority religion. In establishing the "free" education sector, Donogh O'Malley acknowledged how the fee-paying Protestant schools - most of them boarding schools - were the only option available for many Protestant children. Protestant schools were given the same support services grants available to Catholic schools inside the "free" education sector. A means-tested block grant was made available to needy Protestant students. In seeking to defend the cuts, Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe has signalled that the favourable treatment of Protestant schools was vulnerable to legal challenge by some Catholic schools. Such a case has never been made. Indeed, the very decision to reverse the grant may be subject to a greater challenge as it is selecting a minority for invidious discrimination. Irish Times 25th November 2008 - Debate on Budget education cuts Madam, - With regard to the education cuts announced last month, most attention has been focused on the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio, which will have seriously damaging effects, particularly for the most vulnerable students. However, the changes to the supervision and substitution scheme, which come into effect from January, will have immediate and catastrophic consequences for schools and will also have the heaviest impact on weaker students, for whom extra-curricular activities are probably the main reason to continue in school. Do parents realise, I wonder, that it is almost certain that schools' sporting, cultural and co-curricular events will be suspended from January 7th next, on health and safety grounds, as boards of management will not be able to guarantee the safe supervision of teams and school groups? In practical terms this will mean that the group scheduled to attend the Young Scientist Exhibition will not be allowed to travel; likewise the team in the final of the hurling championship, the planned Leaving Cert biology or geography field trips, or the fifth-year class scheduled to attend a live presentation of Hamlet . Minister O'Keeffe insists that these cuts are necessary because, in his own words, "the economy is banjaxed". Nobody denies that the economy is in dire straits, nor that very severe corrective measures are called for and, unfortunately, education cannot escape the knife. But the problem with these cuts is that they are being made with a blunt hatchet. Had the Minister or his officials consulted the education partners, they would have been made aware of other areas where economies would have yielded similar savings without the disastrous consequences for children which we now face. Government spin-doctors have attempted to portray the reaction to these measures as "teachers whingeing again" and have played down the widespread anger among parents at the seriously negative effects the cuts will have on their children. This is not a teachers' issue; it is a major issue for parents and parents must mobilise to have these cuts reversed and replaced with realistic, achievable economies in a broader range of educational provision. The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals in post-primary schools represents senior in-school management across the three second-level sectors. We believe the changes in the supervision and substitution scheme and in uncertified sick-leave arrangements will make managing schools impossible from January. It is not too late for the Minister to withdraw these ill-conceived proposals now, consult with the education partners and come up with economies in other areas which will yield similar savings. – Yours , etc, JIM COONEY, National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (Region 6), Ennis, Co Clare. Irish Times 25th November 2008 - Teachers ‘sick’ days Madam, - The recent comments by the Minister for Education, Batt O'Keeffe, regarding teachers' uncertified sick leave amount to smug, deceptive and manipulative use of statistics ( The Irish Times , November 21st). His objective is to divert attention from the Department's cutbacks and the continued underfunding of Irish education As correctly pointed out by the INTO, the total number of uncertified sick days for 2007-2008 - 59,992 - equates to one day per teacher per year. The vast majority of these days are attributable to family weddings, funerals and attendance at hospitals with sick children. Perhaps the Minister expects teachers to renege on their family commitments and responsibilities. Do workers in other sectors of the national economy, in both private and public sectors, not do the same? I look forward to meeting the minister at the Asti conference next Easter. - Yours, etc, SIMON CAREY, Pollerton, Carlow.
Thousands march in Cork against education cutsOLIVIA KELLEHER – Irish Times – 24th November 2008 IN THE region of 15,000 teachers, parents and pupils marched down Patrick Street in Cork city over the weekend in protest at planned Government cutbacks in education.At a noisy demonstration on Saturday they carried placards with the words “Blind as a Batt” and “Batman you are after robbing us”. They came from as far away as Wexford and called for a Government U-turn on plans to cut substitution cover for sick teachers and increases in the pupil/teacher ratio, among other issues. Mary O’Sullivan from Barraduff in Killarney, Co Kerry, said she travelled to Cork for the protest in a bid to guarantee the future of her five-year-old son Joshua. “Where we are in Barraduff the class size is just right and you can see it. There is a nice tidy number and what he has learned in a couple of months in school is unbelievable . . . Once one thing goes it is going to have a knock-on effect on everything because a teacher that now gives time to something outside their remit won’t be able to even do what they are supposed to be doing.She added there was no point in being vocal when “the battle is lost.” Meanwhile, Eileen Keady, a teacher at Cloghroe National School described the budget cuts as a “slap in the face” for parents, teachers and pupils. “We are okay for this year but next year an appointment won’t be made that should be made . . . So we are very upset that any changes are being made and that the Government has gone back on its promise to lower class size. I regard it as a slap in the face that they are going to increase class size rather than lower it,” she said. “We were going to have a teacher appointed to teach the foreign language children and now it won’t go ahead. If you can’t understand what is being said how can you learn?” Mother-of-three Diane Kelly from Crosshaven, Co Cork, who is the chairwoman of Scoil Bhride Parents Association said she was worried that fundraising money would end up being used to pay for essentials rather than extras such as interactive white boards. The demonstration was dominated by chants such as: “You say cutback, we say fightback!” and “Fianna Fáil out!” One teacher echoed a successful television advertising campaign with the chant: “School uniform €150, books €100; benefit of an education – priceless!” Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) general secretary John Carr said the Government was making children pay for the “recklessness of bankers and developers”. However, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe has insisted that the Government has taken tough decisions to help the economy on the road to recovery. The march was one in a series of protests organised by the INTO, culminating in a national rally in Dublin on December 6th.
Parents and teachers refuse to back down in cutbacks row - By Ralph Riegel – Irish IndependantMonday November 24 2008 EDUCATION Minister Batt O'Keeffe has been warned that furious parents and teachers will not back down in opposing controversial cutbacks that will dramatically increase class sizes and stall new school developments.The warning came as an estimated 10,000 people protested in Cork city centre over the weekend in the escalating row over proposed education cutbacks. The protest march was the latest in a series of demonstrations organised by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) to highlight the implications for the primary school sector of the budgetary cutbacks proposed by Minister O'Keeffe.PlightMinister O'Keeffe warned that the budgetary changes are simply unavoidable given Ireland's economic plight and the financial situation facing the Government. However, the INTO warned that it is morally wrong to make parents and children pay for Ireland's economic woes -- arguing that the Celtic Tiger was created in the first instance by Ireland's strategic investment in education.One parent, Mary O'Sullivan, supported the protest march on Saturday afternoon having driven all the way from Barraduff in Kerry."Where we are in Barraduff the class size is just right and you can see it. There is a nice tidy number and what he (her five-year-old son, Joshua) has learned in a couple of months in school is unbelievable," she said."Once one thing goes it is going to have a knock-on effect on everything because teachers that now give time to something outside their remit won't be able to even do what they are supposed to be doing."There is no point in waiting for everyone else to fight for this. Some people always wait for everyone else to fight the battle. Then they complain when the battle is lost." One Cork teacher warned that the education sector simply cannot sustain the proposed cutbacks. "I came today because I am a teacher at Cloghroe National School and our school is going to be impacted," warned teacher Eileen Keady.
Irish Examiner - Thursday, November 20, 2008 “The Department of Education is expecting us to provide the same level of support or even more with two teachers than they felt it was necessary to provide three teachers for this year. The bottom line for us will be to put children in bigger groups or give them less time with the language support teacher,” said Aiden O’Brien, principal of the 422-pupil school. He said another impact will be disruption to mainstream classes, because teachers are conscious of the need to give a little more time to pupils with lower levels of English. “And because of the increase in the class sizes, we will have at least three classes in our school which will be bigger than last year. We currently have four classes with at least 32 pupils in each,” he said. Parents from the school will be among thousands expected to take part in a protest against education cutbacks in Cork on Saturday morning. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) Cork city north branch estimates that 19 jobs will be lost in around one-third of the 53 schools in its area, because of changes in class sizes and the language support cuts. “A large proportion of these are English language teachers whose loss will leave schools struggling to cope with newcomer children with little or no English. Even ordinary classes will be affected by the impact of this cut, as teachers try to cope with these children without support,” said branch spokesperson Patricia Murphy. “The loss of classroom teachers will inevitably lead to much larger classes in those schools, leaving children struggling to cope.”
Call for Leitrim teachers and parents to unite against education cutsLeitrim Observer - 19 November 2008 Leitrim Branch of TUI are calling on all parents in Leitrim from all sectors to join together in protect against the budget cuts in education by going to Donegal Town on Saturday, 29th of November at 1.30pm. They go on to say "The reference to an increase of "just one" in the pupil teacher ratio is not just regressive but is dangerously misleading. It is a rowing back on a hard fought for gain, which will undermine the education of students in a whole range of ways. This cut together with the other cuts announced will: 1. Seriously limit subject choice which will effect student's career options. 2. Lead to large classes where all students will lose out on teacher tuition time. 3. Further marginalise those already on the parameters of society and education. 4. Deprive students with special needs of vital resources 5. Put increased school transport costs on parents 6. Put increased financial pressure on parents because of withdrawal of the school book grants. 7. Put a disproportionate burden on vulnerable parents to make up the shortfall in school budgets. 8. Deprive students of opportunities to participate in sporting and cultural activities "TUI estimates that changes to the mechanism used to calculate teachers at second level will result in a reduction of almost 1,000 teachers from the current quota at second level by the start of the next school year. "These cuts will effect all schools in Leitrim, this is in addition to the 200 job cuts that would be induced by withdrawal of funding to certain disadvantaged schools. Most schools in Leitrim benefited from this scheme up to this announcement. "We are abhorred by the increase in the staffing schedule for teachers and the restrictions to be introduced to substitution cover and other teacher allocations including English language support. At a time when we should be trying to kick-start economic recovery through our education system, the Government's solution is to increase class sizes and slash vital services." Among OECD countries, just the Slovak Republic and Greece spend less than Ireland on education. Withdrawal of some 200 posts provided to non-DEIS designated schools also hits the disadvantaged as does the reduction in capitation funding for traveller education and the reduction by 100 of the places in traveller education, the reduction of 500 places in the Back To School Initiative. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) has learned that an increased pupil to teacher ratio is also to apply to the Further Education Sector, the Leaving Cert Vocational Certificate, the Leaving Cert Applied Programme and other programmes that were designed to respond to specific needs. Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses will be particularly badly hit by the new cuts. Speaking yesterday to the Leitrim Observer, Leitrim Branch of TUI said "This is another vicious attack on education which was not even put in the public domain until now. Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses will be particularly badly hit by this short-sighted decision. "Unemployment is soaring; the need to up-skill and re-skill is escalating by the day. The acknowledged strength of the Further Education sector, particularly in relation to PLC courses, lies in the range of courses offered and how colleges can react and tailor these courses to the specific and unique employment needs of the local community. "Now is not the time to undermine and reduce the capacity of the Further Education sector to engage people in relevant learning programmes that prepare them for the labour market and support progression to higher education. "The change in the staffing schedule will inevitably have a hugely detrimental effect on the diversity of courses offered to students, with an inevitable follow-on effect on their employment prospects. It will undo years of magnificent progress in the sector. "Many courses run for more than one year so the new pupil teacher ratio will throw the system into absolute chaos. Put simply, a logistical nightmare lies ahead for course co-ordinators. The justification for these programmes to operate on a lower pupil: teacher of 16:1 has long been established in terms of: • the high emphasis on technological based subjects • labour market skills • practical tasks • applied and experiential learning • practical based examinations * and the high planning and administrative demand associated with these. In particular further education must be responsive to changing labour market needs and skills deficits. "Programmes such as the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme promote technological courses while the Leaving Certificate Applied and the Junior Cert Schools Programme underpin the governments own strategy to improve retention at second level. Research shows that vast majority of students have a preference for activity based learning students, which benefits their overall achievement. Coupled with the withdrawal of substantial grant aid, the cuts will decimate these programmes in schools," the statement concluded. ___________________________________________________________________ Carlow Nationalist - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 Carlow teachers and parents travel to Cowen’s backyard for budget protest HUNDREDS of Carlow teachers and parents descended on the taoiseach’s constituency last Saturday to deliver an angry message to Brian Cowen over budget cutbacks in education. Almost 300 teachers and parents from the county joined a rally of approximately 5,000 in O’Connor Square in Tullamore, Co Offaly, calling for the cutbacks to be reversed. “The message has to go out there that in Carlow alone these cuts will means the loss of 14 teachers to the system. This has the knock-on effect of the relocation of 250 Carlow children into other classrooms,” said Fran Moloney, secretary of the North Carlow branch of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO). “People were at first shocked and then angered by these cutbacks in education. The public just can’t understand how the minister has chosen the soft option in relation to saving money, options that directly affect children,” he added. Mr Moloney outlined to The Nationalist the suggestions the North Carlow branch of the INTO have made to Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe on how funding can be saved. “We have suggested numerous ways how the money can be saved, but at this stage it looks like he is standing on a matter of principal and sticking with the soft option,” Mr Moloney said.
Wexford People - Wednesday November 19 2008 WEXFORD COUNTY Councillor Anna Fenlon has described the recent cutbacks in education as 'disgraceful', and will force the 'social aspect of schooling to come to a halt'.' It's disgraceful. Teachers will no longer be able to go to matches. When a teacher goes off with a sports team, substitutes cover their classes,' she said, adding that this will end if the Government persists with its plans.' It's the substitute teachers I'm most worried about. The social aspect to school will come to a halt.'Focussing on sport, Cllr. Fenlon said: 'The sports field is an outlet for students who might not be very academic, but can be extremely good at sport. 'The Government says children need exercise, and then they do this. It's a disgrace,' she said.Cllr. Fenlon maintained that a public sector pay freeze would have been a more viable proposition, rather than detrimental cutbacks. 'I support the pay freeze if its the only way out
Demonstration against CutsThe Kerryman By SIMON BROUDER - Wednesday November 19 2008OVER 1.000 parents, pupils and teachers from 18 Kerry schools are expected to travel to Cork on Saturday to join a massive protest march and rally against the government's swingeing education cuts. The cuts announced in last month's budget will see the 18 schools, located all over Kerry, lose at least 38 full time teachers and potentially many more support staff.Kerry's INTO branches will all be represented and, such is the public support for the protest in Education Minister Batt O' Keeffe's own backyard, coachloads of parents and teachers are travelling to Cork from some of the worst affected schools in the county. INTO Branch Secretaries across Kerry said they have been inundated with requests for seats on the coaches from parents and teachers who are livid at the cutbacks.INTO Kerry representative Seamus Long said that the first effects of the cutbacks will be felt as early as January when children, parents and schools will lose the benefit of substitute cover for teachers on short term, uncertified, sick leave. "Beginning right in the middle of the cold and 'flu season this cutback will be drastic right from the start and schools will not be able to cover for absent teachers, leading to overcrowding and disruption" Mr Long said."School boards of management will no longer be able to hire a substitute teacher in these circumstances and boards may have to send pupils home rather than risk the health and safety of children and staff in overcrowded classrooms, which may be exacerbated by the absence of more than one teacher," he said."Small schools will be particularly vulnerable as there will be fewer staff to cover for an absent colleague," Mr Long said. Among the myriad of cutbacks Kerry parents, teachers and pupils will be protesting against at the weekend are the cap on English language teachers, the abolition of resource teacher equipment grants, increased school transport charges, abolition of enhanced traveller pupil capitation grants, school library grant Aid, cookery grants, abolition of English support teacher grants, in-service grants.
The New Ross Standard Wednesday November 19 2008Over 200 gather for protest meeting TEACHERS MADE a bid for support of parents in their battle against education cuts on Monday evening as Deputy Paul Kehoe hosted a protest meeting at the Farmers' Centre in Enniscorthy.With bigger class sizes, staff lay-offs and lower grants in the offing, there was a full house over 200 people were present in Mill Park Road. Speakers included F.G. education spokesman Brian Hayes who arrived from Dublin for the occasion, as well as the party's Oireachtas members Michael D'Arcy and Liam Twomey. However, most of the speakers were members of the teaching professions led by County Carlow based former I.N.T.O. president Angela Dunne and St. Mary's C.B.S. principal John Ryan. Among those who spoke from the floor was Gorey Community School principal Nicholas Sweetman who expects to lose eight teachers from his staffroom next year. The meeting also heard from primary teachers such as Liam Turner from Newbawn and John Brennan of Scoil Mochua in Oulart. And they appealed for parents, whose children will suffer the effects of bigger classes and dwindling grants, to join in protests such as the one bring organised for Dublin on December 6. One of the evening's keynote addresses came from Kilmore man Jim Moore, president of the post-primary section of the national parents' "We are okay for this year, but next year an appointment won't be made that should be made because the right number of children are there to make it. So we are very upset that any changes are being made and that the Government has gone back on its promise to lower class size," she said."I regard it as a slap in the face. We were going to have a teacher appointed to teach the foreign language children and now it won't go ahead. "If you can't understand what is being said how can you learn?"Teachers and parents have vowed to continue to mount similar protests until the Government reverses its cutback policies. |
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