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Story: Inishowen Independent
THREE Donegal schools
will lose teachers from September next following the
decision by the Minister for Education Mary Hanafin
to defer the reduction in primary school classes
from 27 to 26.
Schools in Donegal Town, Kincasslagh and Burtonport
will all lose teachers while schools across the
county that were expecting additional teachers will
not now get them.
Scoil Eoghain in Moville and Scoil Íosagáin in
Buncrana are among the Inishowen schools affected.
Principals were working on the basis that the
reduction in class sizes would lead to extra
teachers being appointed in September – the
commitment was contained in the Programme for
Government – but that will not now be the case.
Scoil Eoghain in Moville has four classes with 33
pupils – six above the recommended size – in each.
“We try to keep our infants and first classes as
small as possible, but the older classes are away
above the recommended levels,” school principal
Gerry McGeehan said.
“Thirty three students is effectively two classes
and it’s very difficult for the teacher to get round
them all, and the difficulties are all the more
pronounced if there are problem children,” McGeehan
said.
“Despite the wealth this country has enjoyed in
recent years, we have the second biggest class sizes
in Europe,” Mr McGeehan blasted. “It is ridiculous
that something hasn’t been done. If we can’t do it
now then we’ll never be able to do it. The class
size for the average child in an average class in an
average school hasn’t improved one iota in the last
ten years.”
Large class sizes are held responsible for declining
literacy and numeracy standards amongst pupils
moving from primary school to second level.
Mr McGeehan also criticised the diversion of money
from rural school building programmes to facilitate
the construction of schools in the Greater Dublin
area. Projects at Clonmany NS and Scoil Eoghain have
been put back for 12 months, and are now due to
start after Easter.
Fianna Fáil councillor Francis Conaghan echoed those
concerns. “Alarm bells are ringing with what the
Department of Education is doing in this regard,” he
said. “I’ve seen it happen before with the likes of
the National Roads Authority and other
infrastructure that is all concentrated on the east
coast.”
“It’s down to bad planning and we have to grapple
with the consequences. Moyle NS is waiting on a
classroom as is Scoil Colmcille in Newtown,”
Conaghan continued. “Children going through school
today here in Donegal need to be looked after too.” |
