Some Clare secondary schools may not re-open after Christmas because of Budget cuts.An emergency meeting of education managers last night attacked the Government's decision to end the practice of allowing substitute cover for teachers on uncertified sick leave and for those who are absent on official school business. The meeting was given the example of a 45-teacher school, which had six teachers unexpectedly absent yesterday, mainly because of sick leave, reports the Irish Independent.
Teaching unions and opposition parties also joined mounting criticism of the worsening of the pupil-teacher ratio in second level schools. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said every second-level school in the country would lose at least one teacher. Teachers last night also highlighted the extent of how the cuts will impact on individual primary schools.
Liscannor National School will fall from a four-teacher to a three-teacher school with an average of 27 children in each class and with two- and three-class groups in each classroom.
