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Meath Sinn Féin’s education spokesperson Cllr Caoimhe Ní Shluáin has described the government decision to increase class sizes as another U-turn from Fine Gael and the Labour Party which is based on meeting EU/IMF targets regardless of the social consequences for children.

Speaking last week Cllr Ní Shluáin said:

“This cut represents another U-turn from Fine Gael and Labour who when in opposition argued correctly that larger class sizes not only affect the quality of teaching but make it more difficult to concentrate on children with special needs.

“Recently I was contacted by an SNA from a Primary school in Navan, this woman had just been made redundant due to government slashing of the education service, she had been employed by a local school for over seven years and feels as do I, that by removing SNA’s from their positions and increasing class sizes, this government will serve only to foster the isolation and vulnerability felt by children with disabilities or those from disadvantaged backgrounds”.

Cllr Ní Shluáin went on to say;

“This latest decision is a slap in the face to all of the public service workers that voted for this government under the mistaken belief that front line services would be safe from the chopping block. We already have some of the largest class sizes in Europe with 100,000 students in classes of more than 30 pupils”.

 “Large class sizes have, in the past, resulted in pupils leaving school without basic skills like being able to read or write. They also increase the disadvantage already felt by children of lower socio economic backgrounds”.

“This is a bad decision which is based on meeting EU/IMF targets regardless of the social consequences for our children who deserve so much better.”