There's a picture of Nairn teaching auxillary Merv Riley handing leaflets out to concerned mothers outside Millbank Primary. Mervy is one of 344 assistants who will be paid off if the Highland Council cuts go through as planned next Thursday.
Merv is quoted: " In a large class of 30 you are looking for the children who are not focusing and you bring them back on track," he explained."You are effectively a second pair of eyes and a second pair of ears for the teacher and help motivate the children."
Mum Lorraine McBeath also spoke to the newspaper about the job-slashing exercise, the Courier report states: "It is really bad news," she said. "They are very important for supporting the teachers and help the youngsters especially ones that need to be brought up a level."
It seems from this Courier article that assistants and parents will be demonstrating along at Glenurquhart Road next Thursday. There could be quite a crowd with supporters of the Plockton School for traditional music promising to turn up for a "session" too. The crunch is coming for oor Sandy, Graham and Laurie. Yes the financial crisis was not of their making but many in the Highlands will put the blame for the cuts on them.
A petition has now been created for this campaign too. You can view/sign it here. With the social media tools available now, those concerned by this cut will obviously get organised very quickly and set about lobbying their local councillors throughout the Highlands. One wonders if there will be some adminstration defectors when it comes to the nitty gritty? Will some Independent/LibDem/Labour members just be unable to go through with it?
5 comments:
we could all just withhold our council tax ---------- after all we are getting less for OUR money..
It would need a huge campaign ..they cann't jail us all!!
I WOUNDER HOW THE TEACHERS MANAGED IN YEARS GONE BY WHEN THEY HAD CLASSES OF OVER THIRTY KIDS + TO TEACH AND NO ASSISTANT.
OR COULD IT BE WE HAD A MORE DISCIPLINED UP BRINGING AND PAID ATTENTION {AND SHOWED RESPECT} TO THE TEACHER.
this is not about whether or not teachers can manage ,its about peoples livelihoods.they wil not be able to support their families. classroom assistants will have been trained to their jobs( i presume) Teachers will just have to get on with things but where are all these people who have been paid off get work now?
PS where does the council tax get used now? nowhere i suspect
Council tax is still being used for free dinners for councillors at HQ isn't it?
So the HC got rid of "£130,000" of managers - but didn't say how many. Presumably 1-3. Yet instead of making the departments more efficient and streamline, they just take out hundreds of frontline staff??
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