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SENATOR Pearse Doherty
has warned that proposals in the McCarthy report to
merge schools with fewer than 100 pupils could
result in as many as 115 Donegal primary schools
being closed or merged.
Senator Doherty said An Bord Snip's proposals could
also lead to a reduction of around 500 teachers in
the county.
"What this means is that, of the 176 primary schools
in Donegal, 115 are under threat of being closed or
merged as a result of them having less than 100
pupils enrolled. Only eight schools in the Glenties
Electoral Area are proposed to avoid the chop," said
the Sinn Féin senator.
He said the impact of the cuts would be felt deepest
in rural Ireland where most of the smaller schools
exist. Figures show that a third of schools in
Donegal have less that 50 pupils.
"The closure of our rural schools will tear the
heart out of these communities who have already seen
the closure of our post offices, our corner shops,
and our local factories.
"The closing and merging of such a large number of
schools will result in increased class sizes, large
transport costs, a loss of community identity and of
course job losses. Such a move will devastate our
communities and will have a serious impact on
learning."
He said the toxic bank, NAMA would lead to "every
man, woman and child in this State paying €15,000 a
year to bail out the banks".
"Unfortunately our children’s education and our
rural communities come well behind this Government’s
priority of bailing out the bankers, the developers
and the golden circle." He said Sinn Féin would
"fight tooth and nail" to protect local schools and
would, over the coming weeks, embark on a campaign
to have the proposal axed. |
