At the height of the Celtic Tiger our spending on education as a proportion of GDP remained at the bottom of the OECD table. We had among the highest class sizes in Europe and an infrastructure that was dilapidated and unsuitable for delivering a modern curriculum. Education did not see enough of the wealth generated by the Celtic Tiger.
With the current economic crisis, our already underfunded education system is being attacked in a particularly vicious way – increases in class sizes; the removal of financial support to some of the most needy students; the withdrawal of language support teachers; cutbacks in the number of special need classes. This illustrates clearly that Fianna Fail / Green government feel it does not matter how vulnerable you are, no one is off limits when it comes to letting the rich off the hook in this recession.
March 30th 2009
Protests Continue to Fight the Cuts to Special Needs Classes
Another lively protest was again held on March 30th. A crowd of about 40 people, including parents and their children gathered outside Fianna Fail TD Michael Mulcahy’s constituents office holding banners for about an hour as passing buses, cars and trucks beeped their horns continuously in support of the protesters.
February 24th 2009
STOP THE CUTS TO SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
Over 200 parents, teachers and schoolchildren marched together to the Fianna Fail clinic in Ballyfermot against the cuts to special needs in education proposed by Minister Batt O’Keeffe. Nine schools in Ballyfermot alone would be affected by a miserable cut to the special needs budget of €7 million nationally.
As Tracy whose two kids are special needs said, “A fraction of what they would spend on the banks could keep my kids in decent class sizes. If they lose a single special needs teacher it will set them right back.”
Parents and children had collected over 1200 signatures in Ballyfermot, during a week when the schools had closed for two days on mid term break. The support for the march was very positive and the children made their own banners and chanted loudly “They say cutback, We say fight back”.
The march arrived at the clinic of FF TD Michael Mulcahy just as his car pulled up to the community centre. He refused to talk to people outside but agreed to meet a delegation inside.
Local People Before Profit representative Bríd Smith, who had organised the protest tried to present Mulcahy with the petitions collected by the community but he refused to talk to the delegation once Bríd was present. He was told by most of the parents that they would leave if Bríd was forced to leave. In the event the teachers met with the TD who repeated Batt O’Keeffe’s line and made vague commitments about the possibility of schools sharing a one teacher and losing another.
Ballyfermot’s local People Before Profit representative, Bríd Smith said:
”Mr. Mulcahy had neither the good manners nor the courage to meet me although he knew that I had the support of the parents and had helped them organise the protest. Regardless of what he promises people in Ballyfermot have lost faith in Fianna Fail and don’t trust them. They need to know that all cuts are off the table and that their kids will be given every possible chance of a decent education.”
Outside the protest remained lively and noisy. Parents and children voted to return to the clinic to continue the protest next week and insisted that they would accept no cuts to special needs in their area. Protests at Fianna Fail’s clinic will continue on Monday while the cuts remain on the table.
Article written in the Echo on the protest
http://www.echo.ie/news/Claims-TD-was-39spat-on39.5029941.jp
December 1st 2008
Bail Out the Schools—Not the Banks.
The People Before Profit Alliance in Ballyfermot and its local representative Brid Smith has announced plans to set up a local anti cuts coalition in the Ballyfermot area. We been in contact with local schools and Youth and community groups and our plan is to help build local support to fight these cuts. We are also calling for locals to support the National Rally on December 6th against Education Cuts, which is backed by teachers’ unions and parent groups and supported by the People Before Profit Alliance nationally.
The PBP alliance is also involved in ongoing protests at the recent cutbacks, directed at local Fianna Fail TD Micheal Mulcahy, to highlight the effects government cuts in education spending will have on our children. There have been several lively protests at Micheal Mulcahy’s clinic in Ballyfermot Resource Centre. During a recent meeting with protesters, Mr Mulcahy confirmed his support for the recent Government cut backs.
The government’s decision to increase class sizes, their attacks on substitute cover and the slashing of teaching posts for children for whom English is not their first language, will have a hugely negative impact on the quality of education that can be provided in our schools.
The elimination of the free book scheme, reduced funding to Traveller children and curtailing books for school libraries, will hit children from disadvantaged areas and those whose families are on lower incomes the hardest.
Both Fianna Fail and the Greens gave clear commitments to reduce class sizes and improve the pupil teacher ratio. Their failure to honour this commitment stands in stark contrast to their willingness to bail out wealthy speculating bankers.
Children, students, parents and their teachers did not create the current economic crisis. Even during the boom our education system was grossly under-funded and parents were forced to dig deep to keep the system going. It precisely at a time of economic downturn and rising prices that we need to ensure universal access to basic services. The People Before Profit Alliance is committed to building a movement of people power. We want to fight for a society that puts the needs of people before the profits and greed of a few.
Many parents in the area feel, as we do, that it is a scandal that Fianna Fail TDs can come looking for our votes at election and turn around and kick us in the teeth like this.
If we can keep up the forward momentum of this protest movement we can force the Fianna Fail/Green government to think again. We urge all those who want to see these unjust cuts reversed to join us in protest on December 6th We will assemble in Parnell Square, Dublin from 12pm with the march to Merrion Square beginning 1pm.
