Schools may be 'out' as cuts take toll [Irish Independant]
- Published: 26 January 2009
Wednesday January 21 2009
Source: Irish Independent
Colleges GAA could be about to crumble under the weight of recent Department of Education cuts that have slashed the spending on substitute teachers across the board.
Schools in Munster, Leinster and Connacht have already fallen by the wayside for this year's competitions which are already under way.
But, by next September, provincial councils in all three provinces expect the attrition rate to be much higher, with sports teams the most likely sacrifice in preference to curricular activities that have also lost cover.
In Leinster, three schools, including the once-mighty St Finian's in Mullingar, will not be participating in any GAA competitions in 2009, according to the Leinster Council, because of the cuts announced by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe.
Kells Community Schools and Tullow have also withdrawn.
In Connacht, Abbey Community College in Boyle and St Joseph's in Foxford have pulled out with immediate effect while, in Munster, Youghal's Pobalscoil na Trionaide have pulled their Gaelic games involvement.
Schools and provincial council officials in all three provinces fear, however, that this may just be the tip of the iceberg and that when the new school year recommences next September, servicing Gaelic games teams on an ongoing basis may have slipped further down the pecking order.
Even the €2.7m released by the Department before Christmas to ease the burden on schools has not averted the problem.
Leinster Council official Michael Reynolds says all school activities have been hit badly and the effects are only showing now.
"So far only three schools have pulled but we're lucky in that many competitions are up and running and well advanced and in that regard most, if not all, have given a commitment to finish out," he said.
"The GAA have a problem but when curricular activities like field trips in geography or drama trips are being affected then there is an obvious scale.
"It looks like sport is just going to suffer."
The Leinster Council have received letters from schools pledging to finish competitions but warning that if the current situation remains the outlook for the future is bleak.
Several schools have already indicated to Leinster that they will not be fielding teams in the coming school year.
In Munster, a recent colleges council meeting heard the same tale of woe, with even a teacher from St Brendan's in Killarney outlining that they may not be immune from the cuts. Like Leinster, most colleges are intent on finishing out what they have started but Munster have heard appeals from schools to return to competition on a straight knock out basis.
Connacht Council secretary, John Prenty, said the next few months would "tell the story" in the west but, at the moment, he said schools are just operating on a day-to-day basis.
"A match could be fixed for a particular day but that morning the school could have teachers out sick and their cover for football is gone.
"In that event, the game is cancelled but we can't wait forever for them.
"We'll see what happens," said Prenty.
"Our 'A' competition should be okay because that is predominantly played at weekends but we can't play all our games at weekends because of the availability of pitches, referees and the time factor with teachers," he added.
Interest in colleges Gaelic games has built up steadily over the last decade, giving the GAA a stronger base at secondary level than it has ever had.
Erosion
But the erosion, on the back of the cuts, is evident and getting progressively worse, something that may prompt some action from the association itself.
The former Meath footballer and current GAA columnist Colm O'Rourke, who is principal at St Patrick's Classical School in Navan, winners of three Hogan Cup titles this decade, says Gaelic games is really going to lose out over the next 12 months.
"The problem doesn't affect rugby as much because most rugby schools are fee-paying and they can provide cover.
"There is no doubt the effects of these cuts are disastrous,"he said.
"We'll be finishing all our commitments to competition but we'll be scaling back across a whole host of sports in September, including Gaelic games.
"Sport provides a great outlet for pupils and we shouldn't lose sight of that even if there are most important items on the curriculum affected by the cuts," said O'Rourke.
"In our schools, we had the facility for eight hours of cover last week but between activities and uncertified sickness we required 31. That's a big shortfall," he pointed out.
- COLM KEYS
DES Circular: Revision of Teachers Pensions [DES]
- Published: 21 January 2009
Teachers brand pay and pensions cuts 'unacceptable' [Irish Independent]
- Published: 20 January 2009
Source: Irish Independent
By: Ralph Riegel and John Walshe
TEACHERS last night reacted angrily to Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe's "unacceptable" warning of pay or pension cuts.
Speaking earlier, Mr O'Keeffe said he had a particular difficulty in his department because 80pc of its funding was spent on teachers' pay, salaries and pensions.
"Just 20pc is the operational side of things which is the department itself, the VECs and the Higher Education Authority and the universities. Therefore it is going to be very difficult to find other savings within education unless you target (this)," he said.
The minister added he expected a very tough week and year ahead as the Government was trying to achieve €2bn in savings.
"That is on top of what has been achieved already. So that is going to make very difficult choices for us," he added.
But the Teachers' Union of Ireland last night said pay cuts were unacceptable, pointing out that 1,000 teaching jobs are already set to go. It described the Government's economic strategy as "make-it-up-as-you-go-along".
General Secretary Peter MacMenamin said the TUI recognised there was an economic crisis which was best addressed by discussion involving all of the parties. An economic plan involving all sectors of society and all sectors of the economy should be formulated where any necessary pain and sacrifice was shared, with an emphasis on those best able to take the pain, he added.
Agenda
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) also said pay cuts for primary teachers were not on the union's agenda in forthcoming social partnership talks with the Government.
"Primary teachers didn't cause the national reversal of fortunes. Contrary to what some commentators would have people believe, there is no bloated public service when it comes to teaching," said John Carr, general secretary of the primary teachers' union.
He said the opposite was true and that Irish primary teachers were among the most productive in the world.
- Ralph Riegel and John Walshe
Huge student protest planned against fees [Irish Independent]
- Published: 20 January 2009
Source: Irish Independent
By: Ralph Riegel and John Walshe
UP to 30,000 students are planning to protest next month over the proposed re-introduction of tuition fees.
Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe yesterday repeated his plan to bring firm proposals to Cabinet in April about college fees.
But the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) responded by saying it was stepping up its campaign against fees with a protest in Waterford tomorrow and a massive march in Dublin on February 4.
The minister told the Irish Independent: "The Government has asked me to put together a report in terms of student commitment into the future in terms of funding for the third level. And I hope to be in a position in the first two weeks of April to bring proposals to Government on that particular issue.
"Obviously, it would be premature of me at this stage to say exactly what we propose to do. But if you look at other jurisdictions you will see that there is a student contribution by and large to the third level," he said.
However, the President of the Union of Students in Ireland Shane Kelly claimed that Irish students and their families were being used as scapegoats for Government underinvestment in higher education.
"Not only would the return of fees be a disaster for students and their families, but it would put at risk the very idea of our knowledge economy by placing a barrier in front of those wishing to further their education," he said.
The USI accused the minister of being misguided and out of touch with the everyday concerns of students and their families.
Mr Kelly said that according to the latest Bank of Ireland survey, the average cost of going to third level in Ireland was just over €38,000 for a four-year degree. If fees were re-introduced the cost would almost inevitably rise to beyond €70,000, making higher education an unaffordable luxury for most average families, he claimed.
The return of tuition fees is also opposed by the main opposition parties but supported by university presidents.
Last week TCD Provost Dr John Hegarty suggested that their return was inevitable. Irish universities needed more funding if they were to maintain their level of performance and excellence.
Dr Hegarty said that already Trinity was facing a decrease in funding from the State of €10m this year to maintain what it was doing last year.
The Presidents of DCU Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski and UCC Dr Michael Murphy, also called last week for the return of fees to help universities get out of their present crisis.
- John Walshe and Ralph Riegel
Minister Haughey announces Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme [Education.ie]
- Published: 20 January 2009
Source: Education.ie
'it is a timely review of the efficiency and effectiveness of a scheme that has served us well over the years'
Seán Haughey, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science today announced the establishment, by his Department, of the Steering Committee to oversee the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme.
This important and timely review of the School Transport Scheme, including catchment boundaries is in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government.
The review will be carried out as part of the 2009-2011 round of Value for Money Reviews recently approved by Government and, when completed, will be published and submitted to the Oireachtas Select Committee on Education and Science.
A Steering Committee, comprising of personnel from the Department of Education and Science, other Government Departments and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland will oversee the review which will be completed by the end of 2009.
The Chairperson of the Steering Committee, Mr. William Soffe, is the former County Manager with Fingal County Council, and is currently Chairperson of Dublin Transportation Office and a member of the Commission on Taxation.
Announcing this review, Minister Haughey said "It is timely to undertake a comprehensive review of the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme given that expenditure in this area has grown from €49.6 million in 1997 to €196 million in 2009, an increase of 295%.
The review will look at the original objectives of the scheme, whether these objectives remain valid today, the extent to which the objectives are being achieved, and whether there are possibilities for economies or efficiencies that would improve the value for money of the scheme.
In this context the review will also look at fundamental issues such as eligibility criteria and catchment boundaries, with a view to achieving efficiencies and value for money in the Scheme."
Minister Haughey went on to say "I can assure all those individuals and groups, which made submissions previously to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science, that their views will be taken into account as part of this Review."
Editor's Note - List of Committee Members:
Chairperson: Mr. William Soffe, Former County Manager, Fingal County Council, Member of the Commission on Taxation and Chairperson Dublin Transportation Office
Department of Finance: Brendan Ellison, Public Expenditure Division Cormac Gilhooly, Head of Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit
Department of Education and Science: Seán Ó Foghlú Asst. Secretary
Patricia O'Connor School Transport Section
Tony Gaynor Policy Evaluator
Breeda Connaughton Central Policy Unit
Niamh McElduff, School Transport Section
Former School Transport Liaison Officer: Philip Cribbin,Former CEO, Co. Galway VEC
Department of Education Northern Ireland: Alan McMullen, School Administration Branch
Department of Transport: John Dowling, Financial Advisor to the Department of Transport John Weafer, Public Transport Regulatory Policy
