News

Children’s Futures the Real Victims of School Cuts

Dublin, 12 January 2012 – Government must reverse education cuts affecting DEIS schools in the best interests of children living in disadvantage. Welcoming the review announced by Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn TD, to look at the impact of cuts to teacher numbers in DEIS schools, Barnardos said that the cuts would have far reaching implications for both individual students and society as whole. The children’s charity said it was concerned that these cuts would undo the progress made in many schools working in some of the most disadvantaged communities in Ireland and hinder the effective roll out of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.

Barnardos’ Director of Advocacy, Norah Gibbons said; “We are very concerned about the impact the proposed cuts to teacher numbers in DEIS schools will have on children and young people. These cuts come on foot of a number of other cuts imposed in the past two years including the loss of Visiting Teachers for Travellers scheme and funding for key programmes such as homework clubs. The recently proposed cuts will have a further impact on crucial supports such as the Leaving Cert Applied and Junior Cert Support Programme. The loss of these services will severely affect young people struggling to achieve adequate literacy and numeracy skills and those at risk of early school leaving.”

“Schools designated as disadvantage work in some of the poorest and most marginalised communities in Ireland and work with children who often face significant emotional and behavioural difficulties. Funding cuts that directly affect the delivery of education services to these vulnerable children must be reversed.”

Barnardos called on Minister Quinn to overturn the cuts in teacher allocation in recognition of the need to maintain educational supports that help children and young people break intergenerational cycles of poverty and disadvantage.

ENDS 

For further information, please contact:

Barnardos press office: 01 7080442
Irene Lawlor; 01 7080423, 086 3980441

About Barnardos
Barnardos supports children whose well-being is under threat, by working with them, their families and communities and by campaigning for the rights of children. Barnardos was established in Ireland in 1962 and is Ireland’s leading independent children’s charity. www.barnardos.ie