‘Sacrificial lambs’ of education saved by volte-face

AT least the Mayans put the end of the world off until December — sadly, the Government is not so generous and has decided the life chances of some of the most vulnerable children in the Irish school system should be extinguished a few months earlier.

The ancient central American civilisation’s highly sophisticated 5,125-year calendar runs out four days before next Christmas, prompting various New Age freaks and weirdos to prepare for the destruction of the Earth on that date.

But this fast lane to desolation was not quick enough for Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, who wanted disadvantaged children to face an earlier educational apocalypse by removing 428 teachers from their classrooms in September.