First World Country, Third World Standards!

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Saturday June 04, 2005 05:41 by Oisín O Reilly - U.S.S. ussvp at hotmail dot com 34 Broadmeadow Green, Ashbourne, Co.Meath. +353 85 1421202

The Union of Secondary Students sends its most sincere condolences to the parents and families affected by the recent tragic accident in Navan; and to the students, friends, teachers and staff at the schools who now mourn a great loss.

Our thoughts are with our peers, and especially the classmates of the 5 young girls, and all those who are now to sit their Leaving and Junior Certs while still in Grief. We hope that you are given all support in your time of need. This terrible accident has brought to light a very important issue, which until now was taken for granted. How safe are our buses? Why are our school buses overcrowded? Why aren’t the adequate safety precautions in place to prevent such accidents and loss of life? The response from the department of education is that it is too impractical to put in place the proper seatbelts needed into school buses, and of course the funding is always an issue…USS sees this as gross negligence on the behalf of the Department. USS President Hazel Nolan said yesterday, “this is an abuse of the faith of the young people, and their parents, who put the lives of their children in the hands of the Department." Why does it take a tragedy, and the loss of life and suffering before such an important issue comes to the fore? Why does the Department only act to react? We are a first world country with third world education standards. USS asks the Minister to respond on behalf of the Department, when will this government stop being reactive and start being proactive in its policy on education? For further Information please contact: Hazel Nolan, President - 087 9050713, [email protected] Oisin O Reilly, Vice President – 0851421202