The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) today offered its congratulations to students who received their Leaving Certificate results, and warned that those taking the examination in futures years will be at a severe disadvantage if further cutbacks are introduced.

Specifically, the union has asked the Minister to come clean on teacher numbers for next year. The Minister has rejected TUI’s interpretation of figures for next year, in which the union calculated 3,500 job losses at second level, but TUI is asking the Minister to be specific with his calculations.

It is in the interest of students, parents, teachers and school management that the Minister sets out the numbers in an open and transparent manner, TUI believes.

Speaking today, TUI Deputy General Secretary Annette Dolan said:

“Today is a day to offer congratulations to all students who completed the Leaving Certificate. Further and higher education institutions are offering more courses and places than ever before and this should allow students to plot a personal pathway to the career of their choice.

Institutes of Technology offer a wide range of successful, cutting-edge courses that cater for a significant proportion of school-leavers. Students can also avail of the huge variety of Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) options and PLC  students are also eligible for grants in the same way as third level students.

However, while offering congratulations to students, it would be remiss of us not to make reference to the litany of cutbacks that threaten to blight our education system and the prospects of a generation of future students hoping to complete their Leaving Certificate.

The running of schools will be extremely difficult in the coming academic year when last October’s cutbacks become effective. Despite the political rhetoric about sharing the pain, the most vulnerable in our education system have been targeted for specific tough treatment in terms of brutal cutbacks in book grants, alternative programmes and retention initiatives.

Such cutbacks will not affect students fortunate enough to be born in families insulated from the current economic hardship. These cutbacks are therefore absolutely inequitable and morally inexcusable.

TUI has calculated a loss of 3,500 teaching positions at second level based on the Department’s own statistics. Minister O’ Keeffe has flatly rejected our claim but refuses to give an accurate and satisfactory explanation of the situation.

School starts in a few weeks time but the Minister has yet to quantify job losses in a way that bears any resemblance to his Department’s own figures. It is not good enough to state that the figures are interim, as every student, including those with special educational needs, must be catered for in less than three weeks time. 

Nothing would please us more than to be proved wrong on our calculations, but the Minister has said nothing yet that would lead us to believe that there will be just 240 jobs losses. We still believe that losses will be quantifiable in the thousands rather than in the hundreds.”

Ms Dolan also urged that students celebrate results in a safe and careful manner.

“While everybody understands the need to celebrate examination success, students should avoid  behaviour that may ruin this special occasion for themselves. Over-indulgence in alcohol and misuse of drugs diminish enjoyment and, far too often, lead to tragedy.”