On 6th December 2008, I stood alongside parents, teachers and students from St. Patrick’s GNS; as well as sixty thousand others at a rally to protest the education cuts in the government’s most recent budget.
Budget 2009 has included some devastating cuts, many of them in key areas of the economy. However, education has seen some of the worst. Some of these include:
* Increasing class sizes in primary and secondary schools
* Increasing exam fees for the Junior cert and Leaving cert
* Cutting funding for school books by €7.5 million
* Increasing Third Level Registration Fees from €900 to €1500
* Reducing the Back to Education Allowance
* Abolishing grants for language support teachers and equipment grants for resource teachers
* Withdrawing a large number of supports provided under the Disadvantaged Area Status
The unfortunate knock-on effect of these cuts will be seen in the local primary and secondary schools throughout our area. The increases in college fees will also create a barrier for students trying to attain third level education.
Ultimately, parents will have to shoulder the burden of increasing fees, teachers will face the prospect of losing their jobs and students will not receive the education that they deserve.
The whole idea that the government has decided to cut funding in education displays extremely short-sighted thinking on their part
I strongly believe that this government is out of touch and given the current economic climate we find ourselves in, I believe that this is the time we need to invest in our children’s future the most.
They need to receive an education that will prepare them with the necessary skills and knowledge they need to achieve whatever goals they set for themselves.
In an effort to raise more awareness and demonstrate local opposition to the cuts, I set up an online petition against the education cuts.
If you would like to sign the petition to get the cuts reversed, please visit www.petitiononline.com/educuts/petition.html
Pictured above, from left: Abbey Kelly, Amanda Kelly, Amy Kelly, Maria Parodi, Ms. Gibbons, Mary Egan, Caoimhe O’Reilly and Cian O’Reilly.