Smartphone memo not worth the paper it’s written on

Smartphone memo not worth the paper it's written on

• Fianna Fáil attempts to distract from failures in education pathetic

Labour education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD has described the smartphone 'guidelines' to be brought to cabinet this morning as pathetic.

Deputy Ó Ríordáin said:

"This is classic Fianna Fáil PR spin, issuing empty guidelines to schools. It's an attempt to distract from the myriad of failings in the Department including the dearth of teachers available, particularly to cover maternity posts.

"Rather than tackling on the real issues, on the things that parents actually care about, the Minister is investing time in issuing meaningless guidelines. It's outrageous.

"A shocking new survey published yesterday highlighted the dire state of Ireland's teaching profession, with nearly 800 vacant teaching posts nationwide and projects an additional lack of 1,200 in the future.

"Schools are being forced to plug staffing gaps with special needs assistants and unqualified staff. Why doesn't the Minister focus her energy on addressing this crisis instead?

"The smartphone guidelines are meaningless and won't be worth the paper they are written on.

"In the absence of a properly resourced education system, these guidelines will be ignored by parents and teachers alike. Teachers are too busy trying to keep up with the real, practical needs of their pupils. It's an insult to them and to us all."