Junior minister refutes claims of school closures

Claims that as many as 23 small primary schools in Meath could be under threat of closure or amalgamation with larger schools as a result of recent announced cuts to the education budget have been denied by Minister of State and Meath East TD, Shane McEntee. He said he wanted to refute claims made by Fianna Fail and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO). Mr McEntee said he had spoken with personnel in Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn's private office and they had confirmed this to him. "They have assured me that no small schools in County Meath will be closed. Starting in 2012, phased adjustments will be made to the staffing schedules for up to four-teacher schools with less than 86 pupils. It will increase the minimum number of pupils required for allocation of teaching posts but no schools will be closed as a result of this measure," he said. The number of pupils required to gain and retain a teaching post will be gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. The thresholds for DEIS schools will remain the same and the special arrangements in relation to lower pupil thresholds for schools that are the only primary school on an island will remain in place. "Minister Quinn has said that the existing staffing schedule acts as a disincentive for small schools to consider amalgamation," he added. Minister McEntee said he had received phone calls from constituents about the issue and said: "I think it is very irresponsible of Senator Thomas Byrne to cause unnecessary concern for parents and teachers. I have already had worried parents contact me about it and scaremongering is no way to deal with a situation in my opinion." He said he would do his utmost to ensure all schools in his constituency would receive "every resource available". Meanwhile, Meath Senator Thomas Byrne has demanded that small rural schools should be faciliated with the same meetings with Department officials that have been offered to disadvantaged schools so that their position can be made clear. "Small rural schools and disadvantaged schools have been asked to take the lion's share of cuts as a result of this year's budget," said Senator Byrne. "I understand that disadvantaged schools have been offered meetings with departmental officials and it is my belief that the same should be offered to small rural schools," he said. He added it was utterly shocking that local Fine Gael TDs and ministers could stand by while one sector had been asked to bear the brunt. "Minister Quinn in the Seanad last week stated that he will axe 250 teachers from sub-86 pupil schools over the next few years with 100 to go next September. These teachers will be redeployed to other schools but their loss will place an impossible burden on the schols that they will be forced to leave," added Senator Byrne. "It is also not good enough that local government politicians seem to have been unaware of this announcement even though it was announced by Minister Quinn immediately after the expenditure statements on Monday 5th December," Senator Byrne went on. "The government has a difficult job to do, but it is unfair to target particular sectors for bigger cuts. "I am asking Minister McEntee to say 'enough' to these cuts to education in rural Ireland," he added.