Minister calls for review of teacher cuts at disadvantaged schools

A REVIEW of the teaching allocation for disadvantaged schools that had been granted additional posts is to be undertaken by the Department of Education.

Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn told the Dáil he had asked his department to complete within four weeks the review of the impact of cuts in teacher numbers in individual schools that had extra posts under the Deis (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) scheme for disadvantaged schools.

He hoped all the Deis Band 1 and 2 schools “will be assured of our commitment to resolve the current issues”.

Mr Quinn said such schools had an “honourable record” in education and “it is my intention to live up to that record”.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams called on the Minister not to review the decision to cut teacher numbers but to “reverse your position” on this issue.

He called on him “to be ministerial, to be leaderly, to have a social conscience on this issue”.

Martin Ferris (SF, Kerry North) said he knew there were “good people” on the Government side of the House who were “disgusted” at what the Government was doing on education.

He called on them to “get off your arse and stand up to it. Don’t sit there like sheep. Don’t sit there and acquiesce to what you’re being told by your Government. Get up off your knees and stand by the people in need.”

Introducing the motion to reverse education cuts, Sinn Féin education spokesman Seán Crowe described the education budget cuts for disadvantaged schools as a “savage attack” on the most vulnerable and accused the Government of stealing the “life chances of thousands of children right across the State”.

The Dublin South West TD claimed that when it came to targeting vulnerable children, “this Government, like its predecessor, has no conscience”.

Highlighting cuts in education supports for Traveller children, Mr Crowe said the Minister’s post-budget statement never mentioned Travellers and their particular education needs.

Their essential supports were decimated earlier in the year and the additional resource allocation removed, he said.

Additional supports had increased the numbers of children in the Traveller community successfully completing the Junior Certificate and had increased literacy and numeracy in the Traveller community.

Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said nearly two-thirds – 115 of the 176 schools in Donegal – would be affected by the staffing changes.

Government backbencher and teacher John Lyons said he would be supporting the motion because of the “spirit” in the wording of the motion to review the Deis schools scheme. Mr Lyons (Labour, Dublin North West) called for assurance the Deis schools doing a “top job” would keep their teachers.