Quinn ‘back of the class material’, say students

Between 800 and 1,000 people marched from O’Connell Street to Leinster House yesterday, protesting against plans to scrap allowances for newly qualified teachers which will see them earning 30% less than the starting rate from 18 months ago.

The proposals have been criticised as potentially creating segregation in staff rooms.

Bianca Ní Ghrogain, student union president at Dublin’s Froebel College of Education, said that once she graduates this year, she would be expected to earn between €25,000 and €27,000, while her peers would be on wages which started at €32,000-plus or €37,000 by dint of having qualified some years before her.

“It is creating segregation among the profession,” she said. “You should see the demoralisation among the students.”

Posters slammed the cuts affected on an already depleted education sector.

Students from the six teacher training facilities travelled to the protest and Edward Platt, student union president at Marino College, said Ruairi Quinn, the education minister and his colleagues were “back of the class material”.

“There is a lot of contradictions appearing on what this Government is saying. On one hand they are talking about the need for a knowledge economy, a smart economy based on a quality education, then on the other hand the policy seems to be going in for slashing cuts.”

He said many graduates who were now faced with the prospect of lower pay might simply decide to leave the country and try their luck elsewhere.