One of the main myths created by the present government is the idea of knuckling down together and tightening our belts to overcome the economic crisis we are facing The rationale behind this is that we are taught to assume that all cuts the Government sees fit to make are necessary restrictions on non-essential items. Thus the government makes cuts to education services while Gandar claims that "existing levels of provision and services in education are being maintained."

But this is not true, for the cuts do not simply mean teachers have to knuckle down and do a bit more work; rather it means the children get poorer education.

This has been highlighted by the restrictions on the employment of relieving teachers The Government has decreed that any teacher who "does not have full time responsibility for a class" must be called upon as a reliever, with no limit to the number of times this can happen. This means that teachers working on special programmes (e.g. remedial reading classes) will have them constantly interrupted, because they must mind a class whose teacher is absent.

These special programmes which are not luxuries but of crucial importance to the children concerned are being jeopardized by this shortsighted government policy.

Government has also decreed that the principal will act as a relieving teacher for five days each term. This is completely ignoring the fact that it is not a simple case of a principal doing "a bit more work" but rather that he cannot do two jobs at once. If the principal is acting as a reliever and a headmaster his ability to respond to a crisis in the school is obviously impared.

Clyde Quay School is a typical example of the effects of such shortsighted cuts. Due to the multiracial nature of the school population, special programmes were in operation to help children overcome the language barrier. However, under the new regulations the two senior teachers employed in these special programmes have become relief teachers and the teacher aide's hours cut to fifteen each week. Now the special programmes are being jeopardised by the consequent lack of staff.

Another example is the situation facing Mana College where classes, many of them preparing for exams, are left without the supervision of relief teachers. One morning there were about 70 pupils in the school Hall spending the first period by talking, playing cards and other pastimes simply because there were not enough teachers to supervise them.

On 16 of the 25 school days this term, classes have had to go without teachers and there have been up to 150 students in the hall at one time under the supervision of one teacher.

A second dramatic cut has been in the area of clerical assistants and teacher aides. Now this extra assistance has been halved. Again this affects those schools who can least afford it and has resulted in the sacking of many teacher aides.

Another myopic cut comes in the area of teacher refresher schemes.

In most board districts the majority of the courses have simple been cancelled to forthwith Drastic travel restrictions have been imposed on such key people as psychologists, specialist teachers and advisers, resulting in a under-utilization of their resources.

Apart from the effect that retrenchment will have on education in general these cuts will particularly affect children with special needs i.e. those in rural areas, those emotionally disturbed, or those needing additional assistance because of their socioeconomic and multi-racial character: