Protest Against Education Cuts – Cork 22/11/08

Statement by Irish National Teachers’ Organisation on protest against education cuts

Cork 22nd November 2008

More than twenty thousand turn out against education cuts.

More than twenty thousand teachers, parents and members of boards of management took to the streets of Cork today (Saturday 22nd November) to protest against the education cutbacks in last month’s budget. The protest, organised by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, drew protesters mainly from Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford and Tipperary. It was supported by parents, management bodies and principals at both primary and second level and by the second level teaching unions, the ASTI and TUI. 

The march was the third of five protests throughout the country to highlight the cutbacks in education. Previous protests were held in Galway and Tullamore while others are planned for Donegal and Dublin.

The protesters assembled in the Grand Parade in the city and moved off at 12 noon, heading up the South Mall, through Parnell Place, up Merchant's Quay and down through Patrick Street, finishing back at the City Library for a rally.

Speaking to the crowd, Declan Kelleher, President of the INTO said the Minister for Education and Science Batt O'Keeffe had reached a new low accusing teachers of scaremongering about the effects of the education cuts.

He said some schools could see class size increase from 27 this year to 36 next year as a result of the cutbacks. “That will cause serious damage to the education of those young children next year,” he said. “That’s not scaremongering but reality.” He said it was the duty of the education alliance between school management, parents and teachers to defend the rights of children to a decent education.”

Mr Kelleher thanked what he called the growing number of Fianna Fail and Green Councillors throughout the length and breadth of the country who are coming out publicly against the cuts. He also thanked the “many backbench government TDs who are expressing their support to schools for their opposition to the cuts and who have undertaken to work to seek an immediate reversal of the bad decisions taken in last month's budget”.

John Carr, General Secretary of the INTO told protesters that the government decision to bail out bankers and big business at the expense of children was wrong. He said the greed and recklessness of bankers and developers had landed the country in the current economic mess. “They must not escape scot-free while children are being forced by government to bail them out.”

He said this was a defining moment for Irish society. “No government must be allowed to get away with forcing young children to pay for the recklessness and greed of big bankers and wealthy developers. Social solidarity must be seen as a force to be reckoned with. Let government know that you abhor what they are doing and that unless the budgetary attacks on education are reversed they will lose support. We will never condone Fianna Fail’s attack on education.”

ENDS