School loses five teachers working with Traveller kids

Date Published: 04-Apr-2011

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

Five teaching support staff for Traveller students at Galway Community College in Moneenageisha are to be lost over the next three months, following Government cutbacks.

And a further two teachers also working with Traveller children could be redeployed because of increased demand for supports from foreign students.

Councillor Peter Keane – who is a member of the Galway City Vocational Education Committee – said the effect of the Government cuts will be “absolutely devastating” for the school, and has sought an urgent meeting with the Secretary General of the Department of Education.

“This is as an attack on the most vulnerable students in our education system. The VEC received a circular from the Department of Education in recent days regarding revised Government arrangements for the provision of teaching supports for Traveller Students.

“The net effect is that five teachers will be lost within the next three months from Galway Community College.

“The teachers targeted by this revision are specifically allocated to teaching the most marginalised students in our academic and education system, being students from the Travelling community.

“It is an abomination that the newly appointed Minister would consider such a move in the context of a revision of cutbacks and this lacks credibility on the Minister’s part. This revision simply disguises the fact that there are to be further cut-backs which directly affect the most vulnerable students,” said Cllr Keane.

He said that following the cuts, there will be 4.5 support teachers for Travellers, and a further two could be lost to foreign students.