Byrne Must Explain Scandalous East Meath School Cutbacks – Burke

Sinn Féin Local Election candidate Sinéad Burke has called on Meath East Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne to explain to parents why their schools are losing teachers at a time when his government professes to have a plan to get Ireland out of the current economic crisis.

Commenting on figures released last week which indicate that Scoil Spioraid Naomh in Laytown and Scoil Naomh Pádraig in Stamullen are set to lose two teachers and one teacher, respectively, Ms. Burke said, “The Government’s priority should be to get Ireland back to work and this decision should be reversed. The decision to increase class sizes, and the Government’s determination to implement it, tallies well with their unspoken policy of targeting the most vulnerable sections of society to pay for the economic meltdown that they, along with their friends in the development, business and banking sectors, have caused. Neither Fianna Fáil nor the Greens have a mandate to implement these cutbacks. I am calling on our East Meath government representative Thomas Byrne to explain to the people who elected him why he is refusing to do just that.”

She concluded, “Education is a vital platform for the future economic recovery of this state. The policies of this government will determine whether the children in school today will have the knowledge and skills necessary to drive the future economy of Ireland. Cutting funding in this sector today will rob Ireland of future potential. It seems like Fianna Fáil are forcing Ireland’s next generation to pay for their failure.”