60,000 pupils, parents and teachers marched through Dublin City on Saturday December 6th in the Schools United national protest against the education cutbacks. TUI thanks all members of the school community who protested against the most savage education cutbacks in living memory.
Speaking to the assembled masses, TUI President Don Ryan highlighted to families that the State has a duty to their children.
“Parents, your child is unique. He or she has a time to live and a time to learn. And a time to avail of an education. The opportunities that the Minister denies your child cannot be restored next year of the year after. Your child cannot wait until this country’s economy recovers from the damage done by this government’s ineptitude.”
“The measure of any society and that society judged is with reference to how it treats its elderly, its sick, those most vulnerable and its children. Not so in this country, where children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, travellers and minority ethnic groups have been singled out for particularly brutal treatment.”
Meanwhile, union General Secretary Peter MacMenamin reminded protestors that the fight against the education cuts would intensify in the coming months.
“Together as parents, as teachers, as managers and as students and with the aid of like thinking politicians; united we are going to continue to fight these cutbacks in education funding and we will continue for as long as it takes.”