Cutbacks put school sports competitions under threat
The original measures announced in October removed all supervision and substitution cover for schools when teachers were on official business, which included bringing teams to inter-schools matches. The deal agreed with second-level school managers in mid-December gave the department sufficient savings to allow a limited amount of cover for each school in the event of games, teachers absent without a doctors’ certificate or teachers away on other activities such as field trips, theatre and gallery visits.
However, it has emerged in the last few days that at least a handful of schools in Cork, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon and Westmeath have dropped out of all Gaelic games competitions as a result of the cuts. The issue was raised at an angry meeting of the GAA Munster Colleges Council last weekend, where it emerged that Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, in Youghal, Co Cork, has also withdrawn from all competitions.
