500 signatures reached
To: Minister for Education and Skills Ireland
Ask the Minister of Education and Skills to secure the future of the Cork Life Centre
To provide secure and adequate funding for the 47 students attending the Cork Life Centre presently and those that follow who have a right to education and have not been able to access it in the mainstream.
Why is this important?
-Education is a right not a privilege-The United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child states the following:States Parties recognize the right of the child to education....States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to the development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential(Articles 28,29)
-Without the education setting of the Cork Life Centre the young people accessing it would have no suitable alternative educational placement.
-Alternative models of education such as our centre need to be recognised and funded. At present in Ireland up to 10% of young people on average do not complete secondary level education. It is more than obvious that one size does not fit all.
-Funding is an ongoing struggle for the Cork Life Centre-at present we are in receipt of just €47,500 in direct funding from the Department of Education and Skills. When one considers that it costs €9,000 per child per annum in the mainstream system and our setting offers a range of additional supports and is asking for just €5,000 per student the lack of response of the government does not make financial sense.
-Education by its very definition should be holistic and meet not just the learning needs of young people but also their social and personal needs. At the Cork Life Centre our first priority is to create a warm and welcoming community where young people can build relationships with trusted and supportive adults as well as their peers.