Stand up for Primary Education

The INTO has launched “Stand up for primary education” — a campaign to highlight primary education in Budget 2016 next month and to get primary education on to the agenda for the general election. Full details of the campaign are on www.standupprimary. ie and in the September edition of InTouch.

We ask that you bring this campaign to the attention of all INTO members in your school. A key part of this is a postcard campaign demanding that public representatives support primary education in the budget. We recommend that postcards be sent to government TDs in particular, as it is the government which will plan for and introduce the budget for 2016.

Please find enclosed postcards for your school community which we ask you to distribute to each family, together with a list of local representatives to whom the postcards may be circulated. A full list of TDs in each constituency is available on www.into.ie

The INTO is urging government to prioritise primary education in the forthcoming budget. Cuts to primary education have proved to have had significant consequences for pupils, teachers and parents. It is time to reverse course and replace cutbacks with investment. Among the issues we are highlighting are class sizes, fairer funding and support for leadership in schools.

Smaller Classes

Irish class sizes are the highest in the Eurozone. Smaller classes benefit young children. Budget 2016 must provide for smaller classes.

Primary School Funding

Government pays 92c per pupil per day at primary and €1.77 per student at second level for school running costs. Budget 2016 must close the funding gap.

School Leadership

The current ban on promotion must be relaxed to allow primary schools to deliver on ICT, include children with special needs and improve literacy and numeracy standards. Teaching principals cannot do two jobs and need one day per week with substitute cover to lead teaching and learning in schools.

Children get one chance in primary education. That’s why in Budget 2016 we ask you to join with us to stand up for primary education.

Please circulate this letter to the members of your board of management and parent body. If all members of your local school community contact local TDs and ask them to stand up for primary education in next month’s budget we can make progress.

Yours sincerely,