Rural primary schools hit as 73 posts to go
March 26, 2012
UP TO 73 small primary schools will lose a teacher in September because of changes in teacher allocations.
The full list of schools threatened with the loss of a teacher is revealed by the Irish Independent today.
They will only avoid the loss if their pupil numbers have risen since the last count in September — a major challenge for many because of their location.
With the exception of one in Clondalkin, Dublin, all the schools are in rural areas, mainly in the west. Last year’s Budget change to teacher allocation has sparked a major protest campaign amid fears that ultimately schools will close — to the detriment of local communities.
The Department of Education has told the 73 schools that, based on the last official pupil count, they will lose a teacher next September.
In recent weeks, schools were advised of their September 2012 allocations based on their September 2011 figures.
But there is an appeals process and — in a bid to soften the blow — Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has said that if schools succeed in enrolling higher numbers than in September 2011 the new figure will be included in the calculations.
This has pushed schools into a major competitive drive for new enrolments.
The cuts will continue for three years, starting in September, and will put the schools under ongoing pressure to keep increasing numbers.
Under the department’s plan, a school which this year got a third teacher for 49 pupils or above will need 51 pupils in September to secure the third teacher and 56 in three years’ time.
It also means a school which this year has a fourth teacher for 81 pupils will need 83 next year and 86 in two years’ time to retain that number of staff.
The aim is to cut 250 teaching posts in all. However, the staff will be redeployed to fill vacancies elsewhere.
The cuts have sparked a huge outcry in rural Ireland.
Over the weekend, parents, teachers and community activists held a rally in Loughrea, Co Galway and handed a petition in to Junior Education Minister Ciaran Cannon.
Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) president Noreen Flynn told the protest that what was needed was a coherent, long-term and resourced strategy for sustainable schools into the future.
“Instead, what we have are budget proposals aimed at forcibly amalgamating some small schools by cutting teachers”, she said.
Ms Flynn said the department should wait for the outcomes of a value-for-money report it was undertaking.
There was a need to review the benefits of small schools in rural communities.
INTO says alternatives to school closure and amalgamations should be considered, such as examining the possibility of repopulating existing schools rather than constantly expanding larger schools in urban areas, often with unsuitable temporary accommodation.
Minority
The union said schools of minority denominations, island schools and Irish medium schools must be treated with particular sensitivity.
Separately, 16 disadvantaged rural primary schools are losing a teacher arising from the Budget decision to withdraw what are known as “legacy” posts. These were awarded under a programme which predated the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme in 2005.
IRISH INDEPENDENT
