Parents warn families will bear brunt of cuts

Tuesday, 22-05-2012

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Posted on 2008-10-29 in

Parents warn families will bear brunt of cuts

PUBLIC anger over education cutbacks is heightening as parents have warned that families will be left to bear the brunt of funding cuts for schools. Ahead of a Labour Party Dáil motion calling for the reversal of plans to increase class sizes, teacher unions and other groups are intensifying their lobbying of government party TDs to reverse these and other cuts to school budgets, which are likely to have the heaviest impact on the most disadvantaged children.

Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe's call for a partnership approach to implementing the cuts has drawn an angry response from teacher unions, who said their attempts to discuss school staffing since last July had been rejected by his officials. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation hopes to repeat yesterday's angry scenes outside the Dáil next Wednesday with thousands of protesters against the education cuts.

Phone lines at the National Parents Council-Primary have been hopping since the budget as families are worried about rising class sizes and the loss of supports for children with special needs, Traveller children and those who need English language help.

"The increased money for running costs will not meet the schools' rising bills and parents who are already under pressure to make contributions will be asked to raise more money next year," said the council-primary's chief executive Áine Lynch.