David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last night, I attended a public meeting in Dungarvan, County Waterford, that was attended by approximately 500 parents and teachers from schools across Waterford city and county. I note the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, has organised similar meetings throughout the State. A strong sense of solidarity was evident at the meeting, at which parents showed solidarity with teachers, and there was solidarity between small and large schools as well as between urban and rural schools. All were united in their anger towards the cuts experienced in education, not just over the past two years but over the past six years and six budgets. The figures presented to the meeting revealed one of the lowest levels of investment in education in terms of the ratio between education expenditure and gross domestic product, GDP, as well as that the State has the second highest class sizes in the European Union. Moreover, the fact that 121,353 children in the State are in class sizes of more than 30, including one in four children in schools in Waterford city and county, came as no surprise to the parents in the audience who came to voice their anger and frustration at Government policies.

It also was interesting that only one of the four Deputies representing Waterford turned up to the public meeting, namely, Deputy Ciara Conway of the Labour Party. I commended her on her courage in attending the meeting to face teachers and to listen to the pupils. However, she said a number of interesting things. She asked the teachers and the parents to lobby the Government for the introduction of a wealth tax and for the introduction of higher rates of tax on high income earners who earn more than €100,000. This is the same argument Sinn Féin will make to the Government when presenting its alternative budget. There was a strong sense in the room last night among teachers and parents that while there is no easy way to solve the economic crisis we face, there is a fairer way and asking children to pay the price through cutbacks in education is not the way to do this at a time when there are options, such as those outlined by Deputy Conway to the meeting yesterday, that could be considered by the Government and which would be supported by my party were they to be introduced.

It is appalling that in 21st century Ireland, a country that promised to cherish all the children of the nation equally, so many children are in so-called "super-classes". All the research and data show that educational outcomes are affected by class size. I spoke to many of the teachers afterwards and they spoke of the diverse range of pupils now in the classrooms, from new immigrants to people with special needs or intellectual disabilities. The teachers must manage such diversity in their classrooms in very difficult circumstances in which the school population is growing at a time when an embargo prevents the employment of new teachers. This means bigger class sizes, which is having an impact on the educational outcomes of children. The meeting heard from the parents of children with special needs, including one parent whose child has an intellectual disability and has been obliged to leave mainstream education because of the cutbacks in the school. The meeting heard simple demands from the INTO, which has proposed marrying general allocation hours with resource hours to make it easier for schools to manage. This is a simple demand made of the Government that is not being met. While it is not all about money, obviously the cutbacks are having an impact and the most frustrating points to emerge from the meeting yesterday were the lack of engagement from those Oireachtas Members who were not present and the lack of belief that the Government is listening. It is disappointing that the Minister himself is not responding to this Adjournment matter today.

All I can do is to take to the Minister of State the strong concerns and high level of anger that were articulated by both parents and teachers at last night's meeting in Waterford. I appeal to her that education would not be cut again in the forthcoming budget and that the alternative options for increased taxation that were supported by her colleague from Waterford, Deputy Conway, at last night's meeting would be considered. I appeal to the Government to put in place the fairer choices and options that are open to it and to not cut funding to education, including primary and secondary school education for children, in the forthcoming budget.