Budget to end College s football?

[moysider]

Here is Ray Silke [I think] s tuppence on the effect the budget will have on schools in the South. It would be a terrible loss imo. But hardly a mention of it.





Budget cut-backs sound the death knell for sport in schools
Mayo Advertiser, October 24, 2008.

It is a beautiful crisp spring morning in February 2009. The game has been fixed for over two weeks at this stage. The school team are to play their deadly rivals in a key championship encounter and all the arrangements are in place. The bus is booked and enroute, everyone is in good spirits and the students are excited and looking forward to the fray with great anticipation. The hard work has been done after school on the training field and now they want to display their talents and array of skills in the school colours. It means a lot to them. And to you. One final check over the essentials - Pitch and ref organised. Jerseys. Medical kit. A few euro off the secretary for the referee. An intelligent lad or lassie who is not afraid of blood as an unqualified medic.

A few tall lads with reasonable eyesight and co-ordination for umpires. And a mobile one for linesman. Finally an experienced hydrologist and ye are in mighty shape. Time to hit the road. However, there is a glitch - at the last minute the principal knocks on your door and informs you that the game has to be pulled as he cannot get cover for your classes and from a health and safety perspective, you cannot go. B***ix. B***ix. B***ix.

Is this the end of an era?

This will be the new reality for students and teachers who are involved with GAA and soccer in second level schools from next January as a direct consequence of last week's budget cut-backs in education. As part of a wide range of cuts, substitution cover will be suspended for school business absences in post-primary schools.

The net effect of this measure is that school managements all over the country will not be able to employ subs to cover the classes of those away at games. Which begs the question, who will cover those classes?

BI-location for teachers is not an option and some schools will not have sufficient cover under the existing supervision and substitution scheme to cater for colleagues away with teams. The GAA hierarchy have requested an urgent meeting with Deptartment of Education officials and their minister, however; considering the amount of U-turns taken already this week by the Government, it is unlikely that they could be seen to pull the hand-break again and do another 360 degree turn. Indeed this column is not screaming from the roof tops that such a manoeuvre should take place. Money is tight and the substitution scheme was very expensive for the Deptartment of Education and Science, but it does beg the question, do the powers that be want sport in schools or not? They cannot have it both ways.

You cannot have a teacher or two away with a team in whatever code and also expect that teacher/school to have their classes covered without incurring some degree of expense. From next year the vast majority of schools will have no option but to massively restrict such absences rather than pay substitute teachers out of their own resources. General secretary of the Joint Managerial Body, which represents the boards of almost 400 second-level schools, Ferdia Kelly, pointed out during the past few days that this decision "would lead to the demise of schools competitions, even though we've always prided ourselves on looking after the growth of the student not just academically, but with sports and other extra-curricular activities."

Minister O'Keefe's spokesperson in the Dept is also aware of the challenges - I love that word - that this cut-back entails. "The Minister fully realises that the changes regarding substitution will present particular challenges - t(hat word again) - in the day-to-day management of schools and he asks schools for co-operation and understanding in undertaking to implement the arrangements." We must do our patriotic duty it seems. The bottom line here is that there is a genuine and high probability that many schools will have to pull out of games and competitions, especially with the health and safety requirements to have two adults accompanying students who are away with games. Some teachers and parents would not shed any crocodile tears if sport was removed from the remit of schools completely, however to say that such a development is a positive for school children is incorrect and is gullible in the extreme. Ironically the recent cut-back will not have a major impact on rugby schools which have seen rising numbers in school competitions recently as their games are usually played on Wednesday afternoons when most participating schools have half-days.

[thebandit]

I was asked to help 2 local schools (one primary, one secondary) because they were short of help last year.

[moysider]

I was asked to help 2 local schools (one primary, one secondary) because they were short of help last year.

You mean that you went in and supervised classes while the teacher went away with a team?  Not many people out there willing to do that, or able either I d say. And do it for free now as well.

[muppet]

Buget to end College s football?

Who is this Buget fella?

Isn't College s football a cousin of Santos L Helper?

[ONeill]

Spelling and grammar is are is are away to hell on this board. The Police were banned for trying to clean the thing up. It's a lawless society.

[moysider]

Oops. Ffs. No excuse for that. Sincerest apologies.

[thebandit]

I was asked to help 2 local schools (one primary, one secondary) because they were short of help last year.

You mean that you went in and supervised classes while the teacher went away with a team?  Not many people out there willing to do that, or able either I d say. And do it for free now as well.

No, I was asked to help out with teams. I did in one case but had to turn the other down, because of time constraints.

[Zulu]

They did that for generations down here too.

[moysider]

They did that for generations down here too.

Many still do too. I know lads who ll be in during the mid-term with a couple different teams.

[Bogball XV]

I wonder how long the GPA grants will last?  Until January's mini budget? They won't survive that cut imo.

[moysider]

They did that for generations down here too.

Well, what's Ray Silke complaining about?

Its complicated. For years when teachers were at matches their classes were covered voluntarily by colleagues in the school. During the trade dispute a few years ago the government agreed to put a scheme in place where supervision/substitution would be paid for. It was one of the ASTI s grievances to get more money and when the government addressed it the union had not much option but shut up and everybody went back to work. Part of the solution was that paid  subs could be brought in for teachers absent through illness or school business. From Jan 1st only certified illness will be covered. Which effectively means games -any games - wont go ahead as there wont be anybody to cover the classes of the teacher gone to games.
In effect the government are cutting on their end of a deal  and there is no way anybody is going back to the old days of supervising up to 100 kids for free. At least that s what my teacher mates tell me.

[neilthemac]

three solutions, without a rethink from the government...

play games after school - not realy an option due to poor light during winter/spring and few floodlit pitches

play games on saturday mornings - who will look after teams in these scenarios?

the whole school take a half day on a wednesday to do sports. it works in rugby schools

as an aside - its amazing the difference between counties and their primary school competitions. in some counties they are played during school hours. in other counties every game is after hours

[Croí na hÉireann]

Some amount of Independents bought today...

[cornafean]

Would Colm support the scrapping of Benchmarking, that has caused this mess in the first instance?

[Canalman]

As always , I believe the teachers have another agenda here, ie better pay .
Using this "what about the Kids" approach yet again to further their own interests.

Have a brother and sister, both National Teachers who bring school teams out ON THEIR OWN TIME and for no extra pay bar being brought for drinks(not always mind you) by the Board of Management at the end of the year. My brother used to get a token  E150 at the end of the year from the Principal for running and training  2 teams but a lazy colleague of his complained to the INTO about this and managed to get it stopped. They both do it because they are GAA people doing their bit.

Something imo for the Secondary teachers to ponder on.