Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

As my party's spokesperson on children and as a Deputy who represents disadvantaged communities, I am appalled at the cuts being imposed on children with special educational needs and on disadvantaged children. The cuts, as highlighted in this comprehensive motion tabled by Sinn Féin, are reprehensible. The education cuts totally contradict the claims of the Fine Gael and Labour Party Government that it is protecting the vulnerable and that it recognises education as a key to economic recovery.

Think for a moment about the messages being received. The messages I hear being received on the basis of the Minister's signalled intent is that education may well be part of a future recovery but people feel they will have no part of it. These people are being excluded. The message to young people is that employment may grow but they are condemned to unemployment or low-paid employment for life.

I have no doubt that if these cuts are allowed to go ahead and to be continued, in ten or 15 years time people will look at the social problems in our country and they will say: "Remember the cuts to disadvantaged schools and pupils in 2012? That is when so many of these kids fell through the cracks."

How many children losing out through these cuts will in years to come turn to crime and anti-social behaviour or drug addiction? We know that children from economically disadvantaged families and areas are more likely to fall into these traps. Many more of these children, of course, will not experience these problems directly but will suffer low incomes, poor employment prospects and low quality of life. Make no mistake, these type of cuts affecting children in their vital early learning years have lifelong consequences for them and long-term consequences for our society.

Increasing the pupil-teacher ratio in DEIS band one and band two schools is a serious blow to disadvantaged communities. Schools will lose teachers and class sizes will increase. Let nobody try to underestimate the impact on disadvantaged children of a change in class size; that is dramatic and many of last evening's contributions emphasised this, including a voice from the Minister's party. One school principal in a DEIS school in Darndale in Dublin this week said that her pupils had excelled since the 15:1 ratio was introduced. She indicated that her "pupils were meeting the national literacy average and the ability to structure the classes to cater for the needs of individuals and groups of students had an obvious positive effect on their education." Even more telling is the comment of a former pupil, now with siblings at the school. That person stated:

I attended this school when I was younger and there were bigger class sizes. The class sizes reduced when I left and when my younger siblings attended the school. The difference is that I and my older siblings, who had bigger class sizes, dropped out of secondary school, whereas my younger siblings completed secondary school and even went on to college.

That is a generational experience in the family and a tribute to what has been achieved and which must be protected and secured in future. These and thousands of other parents, teachers and pupils are appealing to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, and the Government not to proceed with these cuts but to reverse them.

Céad bliain ó shin, bhí Pádraig Mac Piarais chun tosaigh ag forbairt oideachais sa tír seo le Scoil Éanna. Sa bhliain céanna, thug sé a léacht cháiliúil The Murder Machine inar cháin sé córas oideachais na Breataine sa tír seo. Anois nílimid faoi chos na Breataine ach táimid faoi chos ag an Aontas Eorpach agus an IMF. Is mór an trua é sin.

There is a context for all of this. This has come about in order to repay bank bondholders and international financial markets for gambling losses. The Minister can shake his head but his Government is working to a diktat outside of its control. There is an opportunity to redirect the Government in dealing with the crisis and aping the previous position of Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, continuing their genuflection and obedience to every diktat coming from Europe, is not the way to go. We must put the children and people of Ireland first. They are having their education rights attacked, with lifelong and generational consequences. It is shameful and this must stop. I appeal to the backbenchers of the Labour Party in particular, many for whom I have great respect, not to support the Government amendment today. They should vote with their conscience and own sense of justice. If our motion is not passed, I appeal to the Minister directly as he must feel significant discomfort at what is happening here. He should act on this at the earliest opportunity.

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