Unions say plan will not work if teachers cut

REACTION:THE NATIONAL Literacy and Numeracy Strategy will cost €6 million next year, rising to €19 million by 2017 but funding will have to come from existing resources.

Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said, however, that the education budget was “vast” and “we can find €19 million out of €8 billion. We will reduce and have to take from here and there.”

Pressed about cutbacks in special needs assistants and plans by the technical group of TDs to establish a group to oppose this, Mr Quinn called on them to set up a group that would support literacy and numeracy among children. The Minister said the State did not have control of its own cheque book.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation, which represents primary teachers, said the Coalition’s commitment to literacy and numeracy would be seen in the next budget. “If teacher numbers are cut then this plan is not worth the paper it is written on,” said general secretary Sheila Nunan.

She said that laying out a plan at a time when thousands of teaching jobs were being cut from schools showed the lack of official backing for the plan.“You cannot on the one hand demand higher standards and then cut teacher numbers, reduce funding, decrease supports for special needs and disadvantaged children and increase class size.”

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland general secretary Pat King welcomed the focus on literacy but said quality learning required a quality learning environment and this was significantly affected by resources such as the number of teaching staff, access to specialist staff and availability of resources.

He appealed to Mr Quinn not to impose further cuts on “our under-resourced schools”. Further cuts would militate against delivery of the literacy plan, he added.

Fianna Fáil education spokesman Brendan Smith said the strategy was the result of work carried out by the previous government. Mr Smith said the party supported the value of taking a wider community approach to improving children’s literacy and numeracy skills. Parents, he added, could play a hugely positive role in enhancing their children’s interest in reading and maths.

Sinn Féin education spokesman Seán Crowe said the Government was cutting special needs assistance and funding for Traveller education – the very areas that would assist literacy and numeracy.

There was “something radically wrong with a system” which turned out students who could not read and write, he added.