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 Stop the education cutbacks
Padraig Mulholland

Education workers are again in a battle to defend the interests of children. The government through their local representatives, the Education and Library Boards, is targeting special needs children and local schools in their attempts to meet government financial targets.

With typical New Labour spin, the government is disguising its cuts policy as an attack on red tape, excessive administration and incompetence. But the reality has always been that the government wishes to see this public service slashed to the bone.

Now a long list of school closures and direct cuts in services for special needs children has fully exposed the real agenda of the government. This is an attack on the fundamental right of the children from working class families to receive an education (more details below).

The united trade union movement, teaching and non teaching unions, should fight alongside parents and educationalists to oppose the cuts.

Last year, education trade unions GMB, ATGWU, UNISON and NIPSA gave a glimpse of the power of education workers when a one day strike was held on 13 May followed by the threat of a second strike day. That action was sufficient to force the government to pour an additional £12 million into education, but did not gain enough momentum to fundamentally shift New Labour’s cuts position.

Now the government has come back for another go and the unions must fight again. A day of action against the cuts uniting all the unions across all the Boards should be prepared for in the Autumn.

More immediately the next meeting of the South Eastern Education and Library Board, which controls education in the Co. Down area, should be a focus for all those opposed to the cuts.
The meeting will take place in Dundonald on 6 July. This will be the third attempt to push the cuts through. At the last meeting on 1 June, a union picket and protest forced a delay (see report page 3). The cuts must not be allowed to happen this time either.

Today the front line in the battle for the future of education is in the SEELB area but if the government wins in Co. Down, they are guaranteed to act with equal viciousness across all of Northern Ireland. Likewise if they are defeated in the SEELB area, it will make it much harder to carry out cuts in other areas.

Join the Picket of the SEELB at the board head quarters on 6 July and force them to back off on these cuts!
North - Education cuts
 Pickets force SEELB to postpone cuts
Roger Clifford, NIPSA Branch 517

On 1 June at the South Eastern Education and Library Board Headquarters in Dundonald union activists used direct action to buy vital time in the desperate fight against savage education cuts.

The meeting of the Board was due to rubber-stamp cuts despite the overwhelming opposition of the unions and public. The protest began with NIPSA and Unison activists assembling outside the Board room for a noisy protest. In a heartening show of unity, members of the main teaching unions, INTO and NASUWT were also present to voice their absolute opposition to these devastating cuts.

It soon became evident that inside the Board meeting room was where real action was needed. To the bemusement of some early bird Board members the room was soon stuffed with placard waving demonstrators.

Unused to such pressure the Board appointees began to wilt. Seeing a chance to postpone the decision, while saving face, they voted to wait until they had heard officially from the teachers’ unions. Though only a temporary reprieve, this was a major victory in the battle against this heartless money orientated government.
North - Education cuts
 Where the axe will fall - on special needs pupils
The Socialist

Lindsey Special School in South Belfast faces the chop. It has been targeted for government education cuts.

Lindsay is unique in Northern Ireland, providing an invaluable service to children from across the country who are patients in Foster Green Hospital.

The children attending the school face a range of problems including; hyperactivity; anorexia nervosa or bulimia; attempted suicide; sexual abuse; Asperger's Syndrome; Autistic Spectrum Disorder; Bi-Polar Disorder and psychotic disorders. The government seems to think that even though these children suffer serious disorders and need specialist assistance, they can simply be dumped into local schools. Clearly the welfare and education of children means nothing to this government.

Bizarrely the government’s plans to close the school comes just as it is proposed that within two years, three new mental health units will be built at Forster Green Hospital requiring educational input for 40 children.
North - Government's "tribute" to George Best
 They're closing his old school!
The Socialist

Government ministers may have been prepared to pay lavish tributes to George Best, but it appears that their appreciation does not run as far as keeping his old school, Lisnasharragh High, open for the next generation of potential world class players.

Lisnasharragh HS in East Belfast is being slowly strangled by the local education chiefs who have closed down first and fourth year classes. The school staff have been told that their pupil numbers are too low - 233 pupils - to stay open, even though there are another 23 secondary schools with fewer pupils in Northern Ireland which are not under threat.

There is a strong suspicion that the real reason for the school closure is the government’s need to keep up pupil numbers in Orangefield HS which is being privatised under the government pet project - Public Private Partnerships.

So much for the legacy of George Best!

Staff and parents in Lisnasharragh are determined to fight for the schools future.