Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I apologise in advance because after making this speech I must return to a committee meeting.

I confess I am not a great wizard at maths, but the planned removal of 428 teachers at a time when the student population is rising does not add up. During the Christmas period I had extensive meetings with educationists and parents who, frankly, are in despair over the cutbacks. My old alma mater in Sligo is a DEIS band two primary school that has delivered programmes which have significantly improved the educational and social achievements of children for several years. Three teachers will be lost from the school under the general allocation model, one teacher will be lost from a disadvantaged concessionary post and two from Giving Children an Even Break posts. Possibly one or two English teacher posts, as well as an additional language teacher post, will be lost, even though the school is located just across the road from an immigration centre containing 250 people, including a large number of children. This represents a loss of seven or eight posts and a staff cut of 27% which rises to 33% if we include the three resource teachers for Travellers who lost their posts last September. Can the Minister imagine what would happen if his Department's staff numbers had been cut by 33%? Would it be able to function? The answer is no.

I hear the same tale of worry about cutbacks the length and breadth of the Sligo-North Leitrim constituency. Those involved in rural schools, in particular, are terrified about what the future holds for them.

Where is the national literacy strategy?

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