David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

Everyone accepts that we need value for money in the public service but that should not be used as a cloak to take teaching posts from some of the most disadvantaged schools in the State. I will outline the impact these cuts will have on schools in Waterford. A number of principals contacted me in recent days and meetings are being arranged with Oireachtas Members next week so their concerns can be outlined. One teacher working in an inner city school in Waterford city wrote to me to outline how the school had DEIS band 2 status for many years, with many challenges to deal with every day. The teacher thought it was a total disgrace that the Government was suggesting raising the pupil-teacher ratio by seven children per class. The teacher is proud of the children in the class and the school. That teacher did not feel the children would receive the same level of education if the ratio was adjusted. Making the change without considering the long-term effects on individual DEIS schools and disadvantaged families is irresponsible according to this teacher. Definitely, the teachers themselves can best outline the impact this will have on their schools.

The headmaster of St. Saviour's national school in Waterford, which I attended, also contacted me to say much of the good work the school has done over the course of many years in improving the reading, writing and numeracy skills of students, many of whom are from a Traveller background, could be undone because of the changes that are being made. In 2010, St. Saviour's had 27 teachers; this year it has 24. If the current criteria as outlined in the budget is applied to the school, teacher numbers will fall as low as 20, which will have an impact on all of the good work that school has done to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of students.

Every DEIS school in Waterford has already lost the resource teacher for Travellers this year, and five of them lost an English language support post. Every DEIS school will lose at least one concessionary post. I agree with Senator Power that describing these posts as legacy posts, as if they were needed in the past but are not necessary for the future, is regrettable and a cause of concern for many schools.

That is just the local impact. The national impact of this measure will be huge. A total of 38 concessionary teaching posts will be withdrawn from 15 non-DEIS primary schools that were previously in the Giving Children an Even Break programme; 102 concessionary posts will be withdrawn from 52 urban band 2 DEIS schools previously in the Giving Children an Even Break programme; 43 support teacher posts will be withdrawn from 48 primary schools, 45 DEIS and 3 non-DEIS; 45 concessionary posts will be withdrawn from 32 DEIS schools previously in the Breaking the Cycle programme which the Minister's party supported in Opposition; and 64 concessionary posts in 59 primary schools and 136 posts in 136 post-primary schools are being removed. That will have a major impact on education in the country.

We all accept times are tough and that savings must be made but to make those savings by removing teaching posts from some of the most disadvantaged schools in the country is the wrong move. I ask the Minister to provide information to me regarding the schools in Waterford to which I have referred on what assessments were carried out in those schools that could justify these cuts. When I talk to teachers and headmasters, they have evidence to prove they have improved numeracy and literacy skills of students but we are taking away the critical teaching posts they need to ensure all children get the best education possible. We are not giving equal opportunities to all children if we undo a lot of the good work that was done by providing those concessionary posts and other support and resource teachers who were in those schools. It is a retrograde step and I hope the Minister will review the impact this will have on each school.