An Bord Snip Nua - Statement by John Carr, [INTO]
- Published: 16 July 2009
The INTO, the largest teaching union in the country, has warned that the recommendations in the McCarthy report on education will cause devastation in primary schools. The union said any attempt by government to implement those proposals would be firmly resisted by public protest and industrial action.
The general secretary of the primary teachers' union, John Carr described the publication of the report as a black day for primary education. He described the scale of the proposed cutbacks as despicable. "Cutbacks on this scale will put Irish primary education back decades," said Mr Carr.
"McCarthy and his colleagues have failed to recognise that there are no surplus workers in schools. "Ireland has the second highest class sizes in primary schools in the EU," said Carr. "Already a thousand jobs have been axed. Services to special needs children, disadvantaged children and newcomer children have been already been slashed. The McCarthy report bizarrely proposes thousands of additional job losses. It simply cannot be done.
He said the report should be a wake up call for every parent in the country. "This is clear evidence that children are being asked to pay the price of corporate greed and the government's failure to regulate the banking sector effectively," said Mr Carr.
more at: http://www.into.ie/
