Teachers and parents join cuts protest
OVER 1.000 parents, pupils and teachers from 18 Kerry schools are expected to travel to Cork on Saturday to join a massive protest march and rally against the government's swingeing education cuts.
The cuts announced in last month's budget will see the 18 schools, located all over Kerry, lose at least 38 full time teachers and potentially many more support staff.
Kerry's INTO branches will all be represented and, such is the public support for the protest in Education Minister Batt O' Keeffe's own backyard, coachloads of parents and teachers are travelling to Cork from some of the worst affected schools in the county.
INTO Branch Secretaries across Kerry said they have been inundated with requests for seats on the coaches from parents and teachers who are livid at the cutbacks.
INTO Kerry representative Seamus Long said that the first effects of the cutbacks will be felt as early as January when children, parents and schools will lose the benefit of substitute cover for teachers on short term, uncertified, sick leave.
"Beginning right in the middle of the cold and 'flu season this cutback will be drastic right from the start and schools will not be able to cover for absent teachers, leading to overcrowding and disruption" Mr Long said.
"School boards of management will no longer be able to hire a substitute teacher in these circumstances and boards may have to send pupils home rather than risk the health and safety of children and staff in overcrowded classrooms, which may be exacerbated by the absence of more than one teacher," he said.
"Small schools will be particularly vulnerable as there will be fewer staff to cover for an absent colleague," Mr Long said.
Among the myriad of cutbacks Kerry parents, teachers and pupils will be protesting against at the weekend are the cap on English language teachers, the abolition of resource teacher equipment grants, increased school transport charges, abolition of enhanced traveller pupil capitation grants, school library grant Aid, cookery grants, abolition of English support teacher grants, in-service grants.
- SIMON BROUDER
