ASTI - Ireland's main second level teachers union

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Commenting at the public meeting Education Cuts Don’t Heal in the Gresham Hotel tonight, ASTI General Secretary Pat King said:

 

“Education cuts don’t heal. Their effect on individuals can be lifelong. They have a detrimental impact on society and the economy.

 

“There is a myth that increasing the pupil-teacher ratio by one means an extra one or two students in a class. What it actually means for second-level schools is the dropping of classes and, for some schools, the dropping of subjects and programmes. This is what happened when the pupil-teacher ratio was increased in 2009.”

 

“Optional subjects such as physics, chemistry and German are under threat and may be dropped by schools,” continued Pat King “This will damage students’ career options and job prospects. Even in the best case scenario, where a school holds on to its current subjects and programmes, it will be forced to merge honours and ordinary level classes for key subjects such as maths. Merged classes, which are already a significant feature in second-level schools, lead to a diminished learning environment for every student in the class.

 

“Sustainable economic recovery is dependent on young people having the right skills set for a knowledge economy. This is what the Finns decided in the 1990s when the country went into deep recession and unemployment soared. The Government invested in its education service and Finland emerged from the recession with a first class education system.

 

“When a school is forced to drop a subject like physics or chemistry, hundreds of young people in that school face diminished career choices and job opportunities. As more schools drop vital subjects, Ireland’s development as a first class knowledge economy drifts further out of reach.”

 

The meeting, held in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin, was addressed by Ritva Semi from the OAJ Education Union in Finland and Ciaran Sugrue, Professor of Education at UCD.

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