Locals join mass school protest

HUNDREDS of pupils, parents and teachers boarded buses
from Ballymun last week bound for the Department of Environment where they
joined thousands of others to protest against cuts to DEIS schools.

The noisy and passion-fuelled protest was held outside
the offices of the Department of Education last Thursday (January 19).

All schools and principals in Ballymun have rallied
together in their opposition to the controversial cuts to the Delivering
Equality of Opportunity to Schools (DEIS) programme, which would see the loss
of 428 teaching posts nationally.

According to a spokesperson for the Ballymun
Principals Network, an increase to the student teacher ratio would most affect
pupils with learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural problems.

Chairperson of the Network, Kate Hogan, explained how
cuts would greatly affect the ability of schools to deliver the education that
children in Ballymun deserve.

“These cuts would directly undermine the notable
improvements schools have made in raising literacy and numeracy levels and in
improving attendance in all schools in Ballymun,

? she stated.

“These cuts are proposed at a time when a recent ESRI
report highlighted that over 40 per cent of students in schools in urban
disadvantaged areas have numeracy, literacy and emotional and behavioural
difficulties.

“Cuts like these would mean that the community of
Ballymun would lose in excess of 20 teachers; the equivalent of closing one
whole school.

?

Staff at the Ballymun schools have been meeting with
parents to discuss how hard-hitting the cuts will be in the hope that their
intensive opposition campaign will force the Government to reverse their
decision.

Sheila Judge, a teacher with St Joseph’s primary
school, said the cuts would be a huge step backwards.

“As this is a socially disadvantaged area there is a
very low percentage of children getting to third level education,

? she told
Northside People.

“We’ve always had a very favourable pupil/teacher
ratio and the literacy levels are rising.

“These cuts would mean that the children get a lot
less help.

?

The Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn recently
admitted to making a

“mistake

? in announcing cuts to teacher numbers in
disadvantaged schools.

His admission came after the Government announced that
a review would be carried out in relation to the impact of the cuts in schools
such as those in Ballymun that had extra posts under the DEIS scheme.

However, teachers in the affected schools such as Ms
Judge believe the review is unnecessary and is just a stalling tactic.

“We don’t need a review to tell us what we already
know – pupils of DEIS schools need and thrive with all the resources they can
get,

? she told Northside People.