Speech by Declan Kelleher – Protest March Against Education Cuts 6/12/08

INTO Press Release: Speech by Declan Kelleher, President Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, Schools United Protest March Against Education Cuts

Dublin, 6th December 2008

Declan Kelleher, President of the INTO, said primary schools have been kept open on the goodwill of parents, teachers and management gathering funds through cake sales, raffles, fashion shows and every size and shape of fundraiser. “Successive governments never funded nor staffed primary schools fairly,” said Mr Kelleher. “At the height of the boom, young children were in the 2nd largest classes in the EU. And now after promising that all children, nine and under would be in classes of 20 or less government has broken its word.”

He said primary schools communities would not accept increased class sizes to pay for economic mismanagement. “Savage cuts will mean that children without English as a first language will now spend more time in overcrowded classes with far less additional support in English,” said Mr Kelleher. “They will have to compete for the teachers’ attention with special needs children, learning support children and the rest of the children in the class.”

He said those cutbacks would damage the quality of Irish primary education. In a message to the Minister Batt O' Keeffe, he said, “That’s not scaremongering but reality.”

He called the cutbacks “an act of educational vandalism”. Mr Kelleher said countries with weaker economies than Ireland would not treat young children in this way. “Such countries know the best investment they can make in their economic future is to invest in their children.”

He said the Minister could save money by bringing some sanity into the school building programme. He cited a school in Laois paying €47,000 per year for the rental of prefabs. “If they were allowed to take out a mortgage they would pay €18,000 per year which after 25 years they would actually own. But after renting for years they will have nothing except rotting prefabs and wasted money.”

He also referred to the Gaelscoil in Enniscorthy where the lease and prefab rental is €250,000 per year.  “The Department has spent €750,000 on that lease over the past 3 years,” he said. “Surely it would have made economic sense to have built a new school?” He said there was wasted money falling out of the Minister’s pocket on a daily basis but he couldn’t see it.”

ENDS