Sarah gets a reply from Mary Hanafin in relation to last week’s article in the Sunday Times. She seems a tad miffed. Sarah replies on her blog.
Her other very carefully chosen phrase is that “in the coming school year” the pupil:teacher ratio will be 10:1. The Principal explained how the Minister is able to say this. Since the school is closing, they are not taking in a new class of pupils in September as it would normally do. Furthermore some of the parents have found schools for the pupils and want to move them now to get in ahead of the main pack when the school does close in 2007. Therefore, as a result of the decision to close, they have less pupils, which has brought the ratio down from 15:1 to 10:1. But Hanafin allows you to believe that the teacher loss in itself would have meant a 10:1 ratio. Very sneaky.
Indeed. Ya gotta love those politicians.
Comments
One response to “Hanafin rumbles”
On issues like teacher ratios, involving a numbers game designed to squeeze defenseless school children, I have to think some PR minion has advised Mary Hanafin to take the smack-down stance. You don’t have to have a mind as sharp as Hanafin to know this is a smoke-and-mirrors drill designed to confuse the average reader. Try these tricks with the average blogger and you lose respect. This is a lesson that all ministers are learning. Perhaps it’s time they copped onto a chattering class that is much more focused, tightly laced and articulate than the more easily-manipulated RTE presenters.