FORTY PRIMARY schools will be forced to let teachers go next September because of the Government’s broken promises on class size, it was confirmed yesterday.
The pending job cuts represent the first challenge for the new Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe.
Last night both the INTO and Fine Gael called on the Minister to rescind the move by his predecessor, Mary Hanafin, which would see larger class sizes in schools. Classes in primary schools in the Republic remain the second- largest in the EU.
Fine Gael’s education spokesman, Brian Hayes, also revealed the list of the 40 schools which would lose teachers in September. These include some in deprived areas of Dublin like Ballymun and Darndale.
The programme for government pledged to reduce the current rule of having one teacher for every 27 children for each classroom to one teacher for every 26 children by September 2008, but the Government reneged on this promise earlier this year.
As a result, 40 schools who would have kept their full complement of teachers will see teachers sacked.
Last night, Mr Hayes said the 40 schools represented a “list of shame” for the Government.
The INTO also called on Mr O’Keeffe to rescind his predecessor’s order to 40 primary schools to let teachers go. “If the new Minister does not act to protect these schools, children, teachers and parents there will lose out badly.”
John Carr, general secretary of the INTO said: “Increasing class sizes make a nonsense of the Government’s commitment to tackle Ireland’s overcrowded primary classrooms. Broken promises must be made good. As a sign of good faith Minister O’Keeffe should contact these schools immediately to tell them not to let go their teachers.”
Mr Carr said many of the 40 schools on the list would have at least the same number of pupils – but with a teacher less.
“The result will be that already crowded classrooms will be even more packed, as extra children are shared out among fewer teachers. This cannot be justified or defended.”
The programme for government said schools would have at least one teacher for every 24 pupils by September 2010, but this commitment has already been abandoned. A previous commitment to reduce average classes by 2007 to 20 pupils for all under nines was also abandoned.
