FF to expose covert plan to force closure of small schools – Smith

Fianna Fáil has condemned the Government’s covert attempts to force the closure of small schools in communities around the country through sweeping cuts and amalgamations without any consultation.  Fianna Fáil will tonight (Tuesday, 31 January) move a Dáil motion exposing and objecting to this discriminatory policy that will result in many communities losing their local school.
 
Education Spokesperson Brendan Smith said, “Minister Quinn’s attack on small schools is entirely in keeping with the Government’s agenda of targeting the most vulnerable communities for the bulk of cutbacks in Budget 2012. Despite claims to the contrary, the Minister has chosen to single out disadvantaged schools, smaller schools, minority faith schools, gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools for the most severe cuts this year. This is deeply unfair and will have profound social and economic consequences for communities all over this country.  
 
“The Minister is targeting schools with less than 5 teachers, which comprises 47% of the 3,200 primary schools in the State. However you look at it, it means that the children in almost half of our primary schools are facing a significant increase in class sizes from next year. It is a blunt instrument that forces cuts based on numbers alone, without any consideration of a school’s ethos, the geography of a particular area, or the impact on the community of removing such a key amenity.
 
“There is no doubt that Ruairí Quinn’s plan will result in the decimation of minority faith schools in the State. Border counties like Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal with a higher proportion of Church of Ireland schools will be particularly badly hit.  Primary schools in West Cork are also facing particularly severe cutbacks, with many communities now fearing significant school closures.
 
“Minister Quinn has a dangerous approach to this. Instead of taking the time to consult with management bodies, community leaders, parents and teachers, he is wielding his axe from the splendid isolation of his Ministerial office in Dublin City Centre. The threat of amalgamations has caused so much fear that we now risk a situation where parents will, in good faith, choose not to send their children to a smaller school for fear it will soon be closed.  
 
“Fianna Fáil recognises that the local school is at the very heart of smaller communities around the country. Our motion tonight will call on the Government to recognise this, and to protect existing 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools in the long-term interests of education in this country. I am appealing to Fine Gael and Labour TDs to think carefully about what is in the best interests of the communities they represent before voting on this motion.”