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Inishowen parents in schools protest 27.11.08

by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent

PARENTS' committees from schools across Inishowen met in Carndonagh last Wednesday night to discuss their opposition to the education cutbacks proposed in the Budget last month.
“Most local schools were represented,” said Mickey Downey, who chaired the meeting. Mr Downey, a member of the parents committee at St Patrick’s Boys’ School in Carn, appealed for a large turnout at Saturday’s protest march in Donegal Town and said buses will ferry parents from Inishowen to the protest.
“There’s real anger among parents about this, but I doubt that they’ll even appreciate the full extent of the cutbacks until next September when they will have to pay €200-€300 more for school books and other things that will be cut under these proposals,” Mr Downey said.
The proposed cutbacks will see primary class sizes increase from 27 to 28, even though the Programme for Government commits to reducing the class sizes by one point a year to one teacher for every 24 children by September 2010.
Schools will not be entitled to employ a substitute to fill in for teachers unless that teacher provides a medical certificate for each and every day of absence. Local schools have warned that this will lead to further overcrowding, especially in smaller schools, when pupils have to be sent to other classes for supervision.
Substantial cuts will also be made in grants made under the DEIS programme for schools in disadvantaged areas, book grants, learning support grants and the schools completion programme.
Albert Doherty, principal at St Patrick’s Boys’ School and secretary of the Carn/Moville branch of the Irish National Teachers’ Association told the meeting that teachers will no longer be able to give children the individual attention they need.
Mr Doherty also told the meeting that special needs children will be badly affected with the Act covering improved rights and entitlements for them being deferred.
“Although some schools may not be as badly affected as others under these proposals on this occasion, everyone must unite against these cuts,” he said.
Hundreds of local parents are expected to travel to Saturday’s protest. The protest starts at 1.45pm at the District Hospital which is on the way into Donegal Town from Inishowen.
Buses will be leaving Greencastle via Redcastle and Muff; Malin via Carn; Urris and Clonmany via Buncrana; and Buncrana via Tooban and Bridgend. Parents should contact their own schools for details of departure times.
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