Parents and teachers voice concerns at education cuts

by Leona O'Neill and Stewart Robson

Concerns regarding the school funding crisis were heard last night at a meeting in Derry-Londonderry.

Parents, politicians and teachers were in attendance at Holy Family Primary School in Ballymagroarty to highlight how they're coping without a functioning executive at Stormont.

The Make or Break Time for Schools meeting was organised by the National Association of Head Teachers NI.

Northern Ireland has been without a regional government since January 2016.

Mother Aisling Leonard told Q Radio that the responsibility was now on parents to stand up and fight cuts.

"We can't sit back and complain that nobody's doing anything about it if we don't do anything about it either," she said.

"It's got to the stage now where we don't care whether it's the DUP, Sinn Fein, the SDLP or a Jedi knight that solves it. As long as someone does.

"The teachers are doing an amazing job, the schools are doing an amazing job. They're a victim of their own success."

Primary school teacher Aoibheann Flood says that teachers are trying to absorb the cuts themselves.

"Our principal has worked so hard with the budget and I just can't imagine being in that position. 

"I'm paying for a lot of supplies for my classroom so that it doesn't negatively impact my children.

"Our staff run the after-school programme for free out of our own time."

Teacher and parent Delma Boggs had this message for the politicians: