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Children will be the losers
TWO separate stories in this week's Leader vividly underline the problems local schools are now facing.
Four principals and one deputy principal are taking early retirement from schools in Shannon, while in West Limerick, Dromcollogher's Hazelwood College is losing both its long-serving principal Liam Lenihan and deputy principal Michael Cregan.
Not all of these decisions are related to Government cutbacks and the increasing pressures that those who lead our schools are now feeling, but as one retiring principal told our reporter MikeDwane: "Recent decisions by Batt O'Keeffe and Brian Lenihan helped me on my way in the end ... There are huge numbers of principals and deputy principals retiring all over the country.
Many are saying why would you want to stay on with all the cutbacks in the schools?" Mr Cregan, clearly a highly talented educator, has been appointed principal of Laurel Hill in Limerick city but Mr Lenihan concedes that cutbacks and red tape contributed to his decision to retire a year earlier than planned. Running a school is an enormously challenging job. The pressures, already severe, are nowgetting worse. Ultimately, our children will be the losers. Something is very badly wrongwhen dedicated people no longer have the will to carry on.
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Weather for Limerick
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 8 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
