Parents at two primary schools in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, plan to withdraw their children from classes this morning in protest at the way Travellers have been integrated into the schools.
The Rathkeale Parents Council claims their children's education is suffering because the Department of Education is operating a rigid "age appropriate" policy where Travellers are placed in classes based solely on age, without reference to their previous education history.
They claim large numbers of Traveller children, some with little formal education, are being placed in the wrong class and teachers have to devote most of their time to helping them, to the disadvantage of other pupils. However, Traveller groups rejected this view.
Full integration between Traveller and settled children was introduced to the schools in 1999 and in some classes there is now a majority of Travellers. A spokesperson for the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, last night said the parents' concerns should be taken into account in any future plans by the schools.
Rathkeale has one of the largest Traveller populations in the State, with almost 50 per cent of the town understood to be Travellers or former Travellers.
The majority of parents of pupils at St Joseph's boys' school and St Anne's girls' school are expected to withdraw their children and to protest outside the school gates. A meeting last week on the issue was attended by 115 parents.
Tension at the schools has been rising in recent weeks, with settled and Traveller children leaving school at different times because of worries about trouble between them. Parents in both schools have expressed concern about the level of disruption suffered by the schools. Their spokesman, Mr James Feane, said the disruption was caused by Traveller children taking up places during the school year.
"For example during October and November 2000 new Traveller children joined the school almost every single day. Some days there were two or three new children. All these factors are having a major effect on the quality of children's learning," he said.
A spokesman for the Travellers organisation, Pavee Point, said few Traveller children nowadays entered classes without some previous education. He said it was not "appropriate" for Traveller children to be placed in classes with children of a lower age. "What is needed is more resources to pull all children up to the correct standards regardless of age"
The parents say they have no grievance with Travellers and several members of their group are Travellers or former Travellers, also unhappy with the Department's policy. Local Fine Gael TD Mr Dan Neville said yesterday: "What is the point in putting a child who has no literacy or numeracy skills whatsoever into fourth, fifth or sixth class?"
The principal of St Joseph's school was unavailable for comment yesterday and Ms Bridin Enright, principal of St Anne's, said she did not want to comment when contacted by The Irish Times.