VEC to lobby Education Minister over guidance counselling cuts

By JACQUELINE HOGGE CONCERN at the impact of cuts to guidance counselling provision at schools throughout the county has been raised by County Galway VEC who have passed a motion seeking the reversal of Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn's decision. The matter came before the January meeting of the VEC where Cllr Liam Carroll proposed that a motion be passed seeking Mr Quinn to reverse his decision to remove the ex-quota allocation of guidance hours from next September. [private] Cllr Carroll described the move as a retrograde step and said the impact on students would be incalculable. 'This is a retrograde step and we need to lobby the minister to reverse his decision,' he said. ' Young people are facing major challenges and the provision of guidance and counselling services within our schools is crucial.' VEC chairman Pat Gilmore said the decision placed schools in a very difficult position. 'The changes proposed don't do young people any favours as the life issues facing young people today who are in difficulty means guidance counselling is more important than ever,' he said. 'Under the Education Act 1998, a school is obliged to provide guidance counselling but it's a difficult situation if you have to pull a guidance counsellor from that area in order to deliver another subject to students,' he said. Cllr Pat O'Sullivan said the move was short-sighted and said it was a decision that would have huge repercussions on society further down the line. Margaret Hession, PRO for the Galway Mayo Branch of Guidance Counsellors, said the move would destroy the social infrastructure of pastoral care in schools. 'The guidance counselling service was never more critically needed in supporting young people, on a day-to-day basis,' she said. 'Students will be deprived of access to one-to-one counselling support for a wide range of mental health issues including depression, self-harm, stress, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide ideation. Our youth, who are most disadvantaged, most vulnerable and most at risk, will really suffer from this cut. 'Guidance counsellors are the only people who are qualified to engage the student in the counselling process. It is not something that can be passed on to well-intentioned staff. Would you ask a geography teacher to teach your child maths?' Ms Hession, who teaches in Athenry Vocational School, said people still had a misconception of the role of guidance counsellors and that the service they provide. 'Counselling is a key part of the school guidance programme. This includes personal, educational and vocational counselling,' she said. 'Essential to the service is the possibility of referral of young persons to other health care providers such as the HSE, GP, Jigsaw, educational psychologists, Console and the school care team and management. 'It is ironic the minister is proposing the decimation of the role in a society where suicide is reported as the number one cause of deaths among young males. The connection between the promotion of positive mental health and the people at the frontline in schools is conveniently being ignored. Who will now be in a position to engage with and refer identified, at-risk students to appropriate external agencies?' Pat Gilmore asked Cllr Pete Roche, who has recently been appointed ambassador for the national suicide bereavement and prevention charity Console, to raise the matter with Minister Quinn to highlight the implications of these cutbacks in a bid to reverse the decision before it takes effect in September. [/private]