IPPN

Published: 04 February 2009

Source: The Kerryman

By: Dónal Nolan

PRIMARY schools in Kerry can expect to learn of specific cuts to their staff within a month, Minister for Education and Science Batt O'Keeffe told The Kerryman this week.

Speaking specifically of cuts in English-language teachers, Minister O'Keeffe told The Kerryman on Friday that new allocations for schools in Kerry would be announced within a month. It's one of the many cuts expected to hit schools under the budget proposals come September next and could see the county's largest primary, St Oliver's in Killarney, losing up to six teachers. Minister O'Keeffe is set to reimpose a limit of two English-language teachers per school. 500 jobs are expected to be lost nationally, as a result.

"The allocation should be out within a month," Minister O'Keeffe told The Kerryman. Where a school exceeds the quota of new non-national pupils who require English-language support teaching, they will be looked at on an individual basis by the Department, he explained. "No decision has been taken on that yet but every school will have the right to appeal to an independent appeals board if they're not satisfied with the outcome of the allocation," he said.

Fine Gael spokesperson on Education, Brian Hayes, who also addressed this week's IPPN conference in Killarney, said it was vital that schools would be appraised of proposed cuts as soon as possible.

"Schools are being left in the dark and they don't know where they stand. There are two many snouts in the trough when it comes to education, too many agencies involved and the government are not prioritising the front line, our teachers and schools," he said.

Deputy Hayes said it the only way the country can now get through the recession is through investment in the 'front line' - including education. "More power should be given principals to use their own resources and it is vital that capital investment in our schools is prioritised. One result of the current climate, indeed, should be that building should become cheaper at least and the government must capitalise on this," he said.

Minister O'Keeffe, however, said the government had been 'singular' in indicating it would continue to invest. "The government have been quite singular in indicating that it will invest and will borrow for investment in what we call productive infrastructure and also infrastructure that will produce immediate jobs."

He told The Kerryman that he is also going to reintroduce a summer works scheme for school building - that will be introduced within the next six weeks.

- DÓNAL NOLAN