Weeks of debacles and U-turns leave us all trína chéile
- Published: 29 October 2008
Source : Irish Examiner
By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
BATT O'KEEFFE could hardly have chosen a more ironic moment to speak about the longevity of people from the Sliabh Luachra region of north Cork from which he hails — just as chanting students outside the building in which he was speaking were closing in fast.
But for the intervention of security staff and gardaí, they might otherwise have had their noses and megaphones pressed against the window of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at University College Cork, where the Education Minister was launching a seminar on great Cork writers as part of the Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival in the city.
Among those writers was SeánÓ Riordáin, whose famous poem Cúl an Tí is well remembered by most people who have sat Leaving Certificate Irish and opens with the line: "Tá Tír na nÓg ar cúl an tí, Tír álainn trína chéile."
Loosely translated, it says that the mythical land of youth Tír na nÓg is at the back of the house, that it's a lovely mixed-up country.
It might well be used to described our current situation in Ireland, but as the tumult of about 30 anti-fees protesters grew in volume outside, the minister quipped: "With the noise in the background, Tír na nÓg certainly is ar cúl an tí [at the back of the house]. And I'd like the week ahead of us to be ar cúl an tí as well."
He'll surely want to see the back of this week, with up to 10,000 teachers, parents and others are expected to protest outside the Dáil today about education cutbacks — having waited two weeks since the budget for the chance.
Mr O'Keeffe has spent most of that time selling Ireland Inc to the Chinese as part of a trade delegation during which he stood in for Brian Cowen while the Taoiseach tried to patch up the medical card debacle early last week. "Doubling up" is how the Education Minister described those stand-in duties yesterday.
But it might be nothing like the doubling back he could have to do if any of his backbenchers or the Green party decide not to support the Government cutbacks in education.
Ends
10,000 teachers and parents expected at Dáil protest today
- Published: 29 October 2008
Source : Irish Examiner
By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
UP TO 10,000 teachers and parents are expected to show their anger over education cutbacks outside the Dáil gates this evening, though it looks increasingly likely that the Government will not be defeated on a vote on the issue tomorrow.
The debate on a Labour Party motion that seeks a reversal of the primary and second-level class size increases announced in the budget, begins tonight with TDs due to vote at 12.30pm tomorrow.
Irish Rail said it expects heavy bookings on its services to Dublin today, although nothing like the numbers it carried last week for people supporting the Senior Citizens Parliament protest about the medical card for over-70s.
Teacher unions were unable to predict how many members will take part as schools are on mid-term break and groups are being organised at local rather than national levels.
However, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) also expect parents and some of the many thousands of people who volunteer as school board members to lend their support to the teatime protest at Leinster House.
They can also expect vocal support from third-level students who already showed their anger over registration fee hikes of 66% and a possible return to student tuition fees with an estimated 10,000-strong protest last Wednesday.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said no budget has ever unleashed such a wave of public anger, been as ill-judged or as poorly thought out.
"Never before has a government retreated so rapidly from key budgetary proposals. However, having been forced to make significant concessions on the proposal to withdraw the automatic entitlement to medical cards ... it appears that the Government parties are now planning to draw the line on the education cuts," he said.
Mr Gilmore told a meeting of Labour's Trinity College Dublin branch it is hard to see how the Green Party will retain any credibility if they vote with the Government in tomorrow's vote.
The Greens yesterday decided to continue to support the Government despite concern among members about cuts to education, but said it would instead seek changes within the Department of Education budget.
"The public anger at these cuts will intensify if they are implemented and it is very unlikely that the electorate will forgive the Government parties for what they are planning to do.
"Government deputies are likely to face a long and vigorous campaign against the cuts unless the Government sees sense," he said.
O'Keeffe admits cuts will affect teaching standards
- Published: 29 October 2008
Source : Irish Examiner
By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
EDUCATION Minister Batt O'Keeffe admitted that the level of teaching delivered to students will be affected by class size increases forced by the budget — but insisted there is no going back on the decision.
He said this and other controversial education cutbacks — including an ending of paid teacher substitution except on certified sick leave and maternity leave from January and cuts in supports for Traveller children and newcomer pupils — had to be taken in the short term to ensure an economy which would create jobs for those who are currently at school.
Since the controversial announcement of changes to primary and second level staffing levels a fortnight ago, he has insisted that it is the quality of the teacher in the classroom rather than the number of children in it which is most important.
But asked by the Irish Examiner if he agreed that the quality of the teaching provided — rated among the highest in Europe by the OECD — was going to be more thinly spread if there are more children in the class, he replied: "Of course it is."
However, Mr O'Keeffe remained adamant that no other savings could be made in his department's €9 billion budget that would allow him avoid class sizes rising or other education service cutbacks, despite the prospect of thousands of teachers and parents protesting outside the Dáil today.
"I'm saying to the teacher unions, to parents and everybody involved, that all of us are going to have to take pain in the short term. It is going to be in the best interest in the long term that we should stand back, collaborate, co-operate and find some mechanism by which we would deal with the crisis we're in at the moment.
"At the end of the day, the future of our children will be safeguarded because they will have jobs," he said.
Asked about concerns among the Green Party's grassroots and some Fianna Fáil public representatives, he said he was very confident they would back the education cuts and support the Government amendment to Labour's class size motion when it is voted on tomorrow.
"I'll be meeting with the Green Party members, I'll be meeting with my own parliamentary party members and I'll be outlining in detail what the options are for us," he said, speaking before the afternoon meeting of Green Party TDs, senators and councillors.
However, Fianna Fáil senator and former teacher Ned O'Sullivan said he will be proposing at this evening's parliamentary party meeting, that Mr O'Keeffe take the €18 million needed next year and €100m in 2010 to keep class sizes at current levels out of his €580m school building budget.
"I know it will be unpopular with those schools waiting for new schools or extensions but it would be better than putting children in bigger classes," he said.
But the Kerry native said he would not leave the party or vote against the Government on the issue.
Kieran Moriarty, a Fianna Fáil member of Tralee Town Council, resigned from the party last week over education cuts, which were also cited in Wicklow TD Joe Behan's resignation from Fianna Fáil and independent TD Finian McGrath's withdrawal of his support for the Government.
'It's awful having to leave two of them go next September'
- Published: 29 October 2008
Source : Irish Examiner
By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
CHILDREN at St Mary's National School in Killenaule, Co Tipperary, will lose two of their current teachers next summer because of the Government's budget move to increase class sizes.
With 178 pupils on the roll book, it will be one child short of the 179 needed next year to keep its seven mainstream teachers, and will lose one teacher as a result.
The numbers required to sanction a non-teaching principal is also going up one to 179, so Maria McGrath will have to leave the principal's office to go back to the classroom. She will therefore have to replace another existing teacher, as she will account for one of the six teachers left at the school.
"We have great staff here and the best resource of any school is its teachers, it's just awful having to leave two of them go next September. Not only that loss, but some of the children will be in a class of at least 34 as a result, so we can keep the junior infants in a small group," she said.
Ms McGrath also fears her own class next year may lose out due to her duties as principal: "We won't be able to afford a substitute, even once a month, if a teacher rings in sick and the rooms aren't big enough to take nearly 40 children if we were to spread that teacher's class around. In the interest of health and safety, we'll probably have no option but to send them home."
The anger of the school community will be expressed outside the Dáil this evening where a mini bus is expected to carry up to 30 teachers, parents and board members.
The loss of two teachers at this average school strongly support the argument of the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) that around 1,000 jobs could be lost at the country's 3,300 primary schools next September.
They include hundreds of staff teaching English as an additional language and those being withdrawn from schools previously designated as disadvantaged.
Mr O'Keeffe insisted yesterday that the impact would be the loss of 200 teaching jobs in primary schools and 200 at second level, because of the extra 11,000 primary and 3,000 extra second level students in the system next year.
Fine Gael education spokesperson Brian Hayes challenged the minister to publish the figures on which his prediction is based, by releasing enrolment numbers sent to his department by schools in the past month.
Protest planned as Dáil debate on education starts
- Published: 29 October 2008
Source : Irish Times
STEPHEN COLLINS and HARRY McGEE
A Dáil debate on the Government's proposed education cuts takes place at 7pm this evening and will continue tomorrow morning with a crucial vote at noon.
Teachers and parents are planning a demonstration outside Leinster House tonight to coincide with the debate.
Green Party leader John Gormley warned last night the country was "staring into an economic abyss". He was defending his party's decision to support education cuts in the debate today despite opposition from some of his own party councillors.
His comments came as Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe ruled out a climbdown on education cuts and insisted people would have to accept pain now, otherwise "we will have no economy in two years time".
Mr O'Keeffe will meet the Green Party to discuss the wording of a Government amendment to a Labour motion calling for a reversal of the decision to increase the pupil- teacher ratio.
A meeting of Green Party TDs, Senators and councillors in Dublin yesterday agreed to back the Government in the Dáil vote. Afterwards, Mr Gormley insisted his party would play its part in shaping a counter motion.
"Before Christmas, we are looking at further drops in revenue," he said. "If that happens, we are in a situation where most of us will have to face up to responsibilities. That means everybody, everybody in the public sector and the politicians.
Dublin Green Party councillor Bronwen Maher said later the message communicated by Mr Gormley was the clearest signal yet that the Green Party's role in government was permanent yet ill-defined.
"It also tells me that the party has no bottom line or any clearly defined point where it can morally or politically say enough is enough."
She added that yesterday's meeting had "failed to tackle the elephant in the room which is our spiralling public sector pay bill".
Earlier Mr O'Keeffe ruled out any row-back on proposed cuts in education and stressed the dangerous state of public finances.
"If we don't make tough decisions, we will be back to the 1980s where the hard decisions were deferred for 10 years," he said. "I want to take a step back now to take two steps forward. He pointed out that 80 per cent of the money in the education budget went to pay the salaries and pensions of teachers and special needs assistants.
Labour Party leader Éamon Gilmore said last night that never before had a budget unleashed such a wave of public anger.
"Never before has a budget been as ill-judged or poorly thought-out. Never before has a government retreated so rapidly from key budgetary proposals," Mr Gilmore said.
"It is hard to see how the Greens will retain any political credibility if they troop through the lobbies with Fianna Fáil and the PDs on Thursday," he told party members in Trinity College.
"Will they stand with the pupils, parents and teachers in opposition to these cuts or will they vote in favour of measures that will do untold damage to our education system?" asked Mr Gilmore
