Principals Struggling To Cope With Cuts [thecorknews.ie]
- Published: 02 September 2011
School principals are facing into a “difficult” September even before the Department of Education’s latest cost saving proposals are considered. That’s according to local principal Angela Lynch, who was reacting to news that Education Minister Ruairi Quinn TD could increase primary school class ratios by one, from 1:27 to 1:28, next year.
Schools across Cork are already suffering from a spate of recent cuts to Special Needs Assistants (SNA) number as well as learning support and language resources – all of which means that class sizes are likely to soar in coming years.
“The ratio isn’t a maximum for each class. Numbers are actually higher because that 1:27 includes special needs teachers, resource and language support and administrative principals,” Ms. Lynch, Principal of Scoil Mhuire gan Smal on the Glasheen Road, explained.
“We already have one of the biggest average class sizes in the EU and classrooms today are very different to what they were even a couple of years ago because we have children with special needs and children whose first language isn’t English. The reason they are looking at this is because there is absolutely no other place in the education budget that they can cut.”
Full Story: www.thecorknews.ie
