2,000 children to lose special needs assistants [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 31 January 2010
The union claims that under a plan put forward by the Department of Education last year, as many as 1,200 special needs assistants are losing their jobs.
IMPACT has asked for the redundancies to be postponed until the end of the school year to minimise disruption for school children.
Move to cut pay of semi-state chief executives [tribune.ie]
- Published: 31 January 2010
FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan is to bring a memo to government this week with proposals on how best to proceed with cutting the pay of chief executives in the semi-state sector, the Sunday Tribune has learned.
It is understood Lenihan will recommend the establishment of a review body to assess and benchmark pay levels of semi-state bosses and quickly come back with recommendations.
Full Story: www.tribune.ie
Govt plan to sack SNAs could end up in court [labour.ie]
- Published: 31 January 2010
Government attempts to downplay the impact of sacking an estimated 1,200 Special Needs Assistants highlights the callous attitude of this government to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities
With the process of axing posts in schools already under way, parents are becoming increasingly concerned that children will be denied the education that they deserve.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
No progress on classrooms - Hayes [finegael.org]
- Published: 31 January 2010
The Government has admitted that the number of school building projects has slowed to a trickle since 2008 as information provided to Fine Gael Education Spokesman, Brian Hayes TD, shows that only 20 new schools were completed last year.
In 2008 48 new schools were completed. But the most shocking information is that last year the number of new classrooms built was 614 by comparison to 1,000 in 2008.
Full Story: www.finegael.org
Church will fight hard to preserve its 'divine right' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 31 January 2010
Nearly one-third of people in this country think the Catholic Church should maintain control of the primary school system. And more than half the population thinks that, whether it maintains control or not, the Catholic Church will change to prevent child abuse at the hands of clerics happening again. That means there is an unsettlingly high number of people in this country, despite all the scandal, the trauma, the pain and the shame, in the schools and outside them, who do not believe the Church will change but are still perfectly happy for it to go on its dictatorial way, unchecked by the civil authorities, and having total control of the welfare and moral formation of the nation's children.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
