Sinn Féin candidate for Kilkenny-Carlow hits out at 'ongoing failure to adequately fund schools'
"Schools and parents across Kilkenny have been crying out for change"
Sinn Féin candidate for Carlow-Kilkenny, Natasha Newsome Drennan, believes that "the Government’s ongoing failure to adequately fund schools has been laid bare for all to see in a damning OECD report."
The report reveals Ireland’s spending per primary school student was 8% below the OECD average. It also finds that teachers’ work hours and class sizes exceed the OECD average.
Speaking recently, Newsome Drennan, parent to four school-going boys, stated that "Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed abysmally to fund Ireland’s schools."
"Too often this funding gap is passed on to parents, with pressure to pay for digital devices, ‘voluntary’ contributions and school books," she continued.
"Principals and teachers are also under huge pressure, as they struggle to get on with doing their jobs properly while also navigating these severe funding challenges.
"Schools and parents across Kilkenny have been crying out for change, yet government has totally failed to act and deliver the level of funding that is needed. The Education Minister is not showing the urgency this issue deserves."
Newsome Drennan stated that Sinn Féin 'have been calling for fair class sizes for years, but government has ignored these calls'.
"Smaller class sizes are crucial for these and other children to reach their educational potential and critically so for those with special educational needs," she noted.
"They facilitate greater student participation and engagement, which in turn can lead to enhanced academic performance.
"Smaller classes can also lead to greater job satisfaction for teachers. Reducing stress and burnout of teachers can lead to higher morale and retention rates among teachers. Government cannot keep ignoring this issue.
“Until meaningful action is taken the crisis in our schools will continue to undermine the educational outcomes of our children and place unnecessary strain on our dedicated and hardworking teachers who are made to work under increasingly difficult conditions. It’s time for change."