INTO:An Hour for Primary Education

Bail out the Schools- not the banks

Hundreds attended a mass meeting organised by the INTO, the Irish National Teachers Organisation last night at the RDS, a part of the ongoing campaign to highlight the fact that primary school classes in Ireland are still the second most overcrowded in the EU.

As the banks are being underwritten to the tune of €100,000 per person (men women and children) our primary schools are being underfunded, run down and education going backwards. Hundreds gathered last night at the RDS as part of the INTO's campaign to highlight overcrowding in classrooms.

One parent pleaded from the floor for Principles not to seek voluntary contributions as price rises and the threat of unemployment put increasing presseure on parents. Sarah Carey, Sunday Times columnist, urged all to take political action the next day. She argued for a type of 'Leninist' approach and offered a scenario whereby parents wouldn't pay the third of the cost they currently paid to keep the schools running.

Coverage in the Examiner:
http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-q...1.asp

Coverage in the Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1003/1....html

Sarah Carey's blog- no education update- yet!
http://www.sarahcarey.ie/

images copyright

Fintan O'Toole addressing the audience

A leaflet widely distributed

Part of the meeting

INTO General Secretary John Carr