FF seeks review of rural school budget cuts

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has been challenged to explain why rural schools have been left out of a partial reversal in budget cuts to disadvantaged schools.

Fianna Fáil said the review of cuts to DEIS schools should be extended to 16 rural schools who will lose a teaching post this September.

In February, Mr Quinn bowed to pressure for a U-turn on one of the most harshly-criticised Budget 2012 cutbacks by allowing more than 130 disadvantaged primary schools to keep 235 extra teachers.

He had announced in December that 423 jobs under previous schemes for disadvantages schools would be cut.

Fianna Fáil said this should be extended beyond urban schools.

“Minister Quinn and his Labour Party colleagues have attempted to spin a yarn that they have reversed their mistake on cuts to DEIS schools this year,” said Fianna Fáil education spokesperson Brendan Smith. “Yet 16 disadvantaged schools across rural Ireland will still lose a teaching post this September as a result of Minister Quinn’s cuts.”

He was reacting to a letter in yesterday’s Irish Examiner from all the principals of these schools, who said the loss of concessionary teachers will result in “falling standards and a breakdown in the social cohesion within our communities”.

The letter was signed by the principals of seven schools in Donegal, two in Connemara, two in Mayo, three in Wicklow, one in Kildare and one in Co Carlow.

It said that while urban disadvantaged schools were invited to participate in a review of the budget cuts, “we in rural disadvantaged schools were afforded no such opportunity”.

The principals said many of them work in communities with unemployment of up to 35%, over twice the national average.

“The loss of these teachers at one of the most difficult times our economy has ever faced is going to add to the level of disadvantage that children in deprived rural communities already face.”

It said the teaching posts which are being axed have “enhanced the life changes of targeted children, resulting in improvements in literacy and numeracy standards”.

With the challenges now facing the country, “we need to harness the potential of all our children and maintain current education standards”, it said.