Mayo ASTI representative Greta Harrison has called on the parents and teachers of second level pupils to make the education cutbacks an issue in the upcoming local and European elections.
“These elections provide us with an opportunity to tell our politicians how the education cutbacks are affecting our schools,” said Ms Harrison, a teacher at St Mary’s Secondary School, Ballina.
“The education cutbacks announced in October and March are having a devastating impact on our schools. Second level schools were operating on a shoestring before these cutbacks were announced. Now they are losing teachers and dropping vital subjects. Classes are being increased and in some cases two classes are being merged together. Extra-curricular activities are being curtailed or dropped. The inevitable result is less attention for every student. Reduced funding means that many schools are being forced to seek additional contributions from hard-pressed parents in order to make ends meet.”
The education cutbacks include larger classes - the pupil-teacher ratio has been worsened which means even larger class sizes for pupils.
Disadvantaged students targeted - many supports for the most vulnerable pupils have been withdrawn such as the capitation grant for Traveller pupils, grants for the Junior Certificate Schools Programme, the Leaving Certificate Applied, and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme.
Subject supports abolished - grants for Transition Year, physics and chemistry, home-economics and school choirs and orchestras have been withdrawn.
School books scheme hit - many schools can no longer avail of the School Books Grant Scheme.
“Education is vital for our young people’s futures and the future of our economy. Our young people will leave school and compete in a world labour market where education is the currency. I am urging parents and teachers to ask politicians they meet in the run up to these elections how they can help the campaign to have the education cutbacks reversed,” concluded Ms Harrison.
