The Government’s cutbacks to education is “jeopardising the future of all our children” and are “indefensible and regressive” according to Labour Cllr Billy Cameron.
While the medical cards controversy has somewhat overshadowed the cutbacks to education announced in Budget 09, there is a growing anger and awareness of just what the cuts mean for education in the State.
At a recent meeting of the Galway City VEC, a motion passed opposing the cutbacks. The motion will be forwarded to the Department of Education and circulated to VEC boards throughout the State.
The increase in class sizes is the most notable and controversial aspect of the cuts to education in the Budget. Cllr Cameron believes this is the first time in the history of the State that a Government has “deliberately introduced a policy of increasing class size”.
He said the pupil teacher ratio increase from 18:1 to 19:1 in the Galway Community College and Colaiste na Coiribe will lead to a loss of 1.15 teachers while the PLC sector will lose 4.26 teachers.
“This will eventually lead to schools losing some subjects,” he said. “It is quite likely that schools right across the city will be hit with a similar loss of teachers.”
According to Fine Gael Sen Fidelma Healy Eames, Mervue NS will lose seven teachers and Claddagh NS four. She also said the pulling of English language support teachers will have a negative effect on non-national children in Irish schools.
Labour will be focussing on this issue. Labour Party president Michael D Higgins announced this week that the party will table a motion in the Dáil condemning the education cuts announced in the Budget and calling on the government to reverse its decision to increase class sizes.
While the increase in class sizes has drawn the most comment, there are other cuts in the Budget which Cllr Cameron and Sen Healy Eames argue will have an equally damaging effect on education in the State.
From January 2009 substitution cover will be suspended for absences arising for school business absences in post-primary schools.
“Sports of all types will be affected,” Cllr Cameron said. “School business absences entail teachers travelling with teams to matches, debating competitions, science exhibitions, and field trips which are now part of courses such as geography and biology. Teachers will have to prioritise classes before sport.”
Sen Healy Eames said the loss of 59 Home/School Liasion primary level co-ordinator posts will have a devastating effect on students from poorer backgrounds who benefit from the service.
She said the affect of the cut will see the loss of home visits, intervention to ensure that children attend school, and courses to help parents understand the value of education for their child.
In secondary schools a number of separate grant payments - totalling €5.35 million - are being abolished. These are grants for choirs and orchestras, home economics, physics, chemistry, Junior Certificate schools programme, Leaving Cert applied and transition year.
There is also a €7.5 million cut in aid for school books in DEIS schools which have a high number of students from a disadvantaged background. Cllr Cameron has described this as “despicable” and another example of “an attack on the most vulnerable”.
