Education cuts fightback
Fightback urged over education
West Belfast MLA Michael Ferguson, who is Sinn Féin’s spokesperson for Education, Employment and Learning, has described as “thorough” a meeting held last week with Chief Executive of the Western Education and Library, (WELB) Barry Mulholand.
Travelling to Omagh for the 90-minute meeting, Cllr Ferguson headed up a delegation of elected representatives including, MLAs Tomas O’Reilly and Barry McElduff, as well as councillors Paul Fleming and Maeve McLaughlin of Derry City Council, and Claire Mc Gill of Strabane District Council, to discuss the “deepening crisis in the education system situation” following cuts to the North’s five education boards by the British government.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Ferguson said, “Sinn Féin is aware that there is unprecedented alarm across civic society at the deepening crisis within the education system and this is the message we will carry into our ministerial meetings.
“We had a very thorough discussion on the government’s plan to reduce the budget to mainstream educational provision over the next three years and the requirement to claw back spend,” he added.
“It is clear that the long-term impact of cuts across the five board areas will be to reduce dramatically the standard of education for our children and that those children most affected will be those children with special needs, that the government have not allocated investment to.”
Disgusted by the numerous job losses being suffered across schools in the North on an almost weekly basis, Cllr Ferguson said that the loss of patrol crossing personnel, caretakers, secretaries, canteen workers and at least 18 teachers, has resulted in the education system being thrown into “a state of shock and disbelief”.
“Education, the cornerstone of civil society, is being eroded before our eyes,” said Cllr Ferguson, “and we must fight back.”
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
