Special Needs Assistants:

I am getting reports from schools in the constituency about a reduction in the number of special needs assistants following a nationwide review that will be published in late March. It is predicted that the number of SNAs throughout the education system could be reduced by 33%, which is a major concern. Fine Gael have been demanding an appeal mechanism, before any decision takes effect, especially where it could prevent a child participating in mainstream schools.

Cuts to Education

A survey I did of local Primary Schools in Dublin North Central shows that children will be affected by the budget. For the schools surveyed in the constituency Budget 2009 means fewer teachers and larger classes. The survey shows:

• Six in every ten Primary schools surveyed will lose a classroom teacher
• One in four pupils are already in classes with over 30 pupils
• Classes with under 25 pupils are rare
• The inevitable conclusion is that class sizes are already a problem in many of these schools. This is certain to get worse.

Information received from Secondary Schools in Dublin North Central paint a similar picture:
• Every school will lose at least one teacher and half of them will lose more than one.
• Important subjects such as the sciences, accounting and economics will suffer the greatest squeeze.
• It will become more difficult to offer separate classes for higher and ordinary level in subjects like Maths and Irish
• Cutbacks will affect inter school sporting activities, field trips and educational trips.

One disadvantaged school is the biggest loser- losing five teachers and a funding loss of €60,000. This school has 56% of its students coming from socially deprived areas.

It is hard to understand why particularly disadvantaged children have been singled out in the cuts being introduced. Students whose first language isn’t English face a curtailment of language support teachers. Low income children are also losing support with the cost of school books.

It is short sighted to cut back in education which is the best security we can give to children in difficult economic times. These cutbacks are a far cry from the promises made to cut class sizes. Both the Green Party and Fianna Fail made electoral promises to reduce average class size at Primary level.

Instead of targeting the health needs of grandparents and the educational potential of children, the Government should have found savings in smaller bureaucracies and temporary pay freezes.