Parents' anger at the attack on their children's schooling will be the most effective weapon in beating the Budget cutbacks, teachers believe.

The protest demonstration outside the Dail tomorrow evening, organised by teacher unions, is expected to attract large numbers of furious parents.

Teachers' leader John Carr said that one of the most emotive cutbacks is the slashing of free school books for children of less well off families.

Children in hardship cases were spared the indignity of not having school books, thanks to a State grant scheme. But not any longer, he warned.

Woes

Families seeking to hide their financial woes could avail of the confidential scheme but the children from these homes will no longer be guaranteed they will have a full set of school books like their classmates from next year, he said. But the most widely felt cutback will be the increase in class sizes from 27 pupils to 28 pupils in primary schools, said Mr Carr, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation.

The Government is "spinning hard" to make it appear it will not have an impact on children but, in reality, schools will lose teachers resulting in remaining classes being increased by up to seven pupils, said Mr Carr.

Permanent teachers can be redeployed to other schools in their regions but student teachers will not be able to find new posts and face the dole queue, he said.

The slashing of the number of English language teachers that helped foreign children will also have a big negative affect on several schools.

Some schools have up to 100 foreign-born children needing help with English. Such schools have a maximum of six language teachers to help them. Now that limit is being slashed to a maximum of just two language teachers per school.

This will mean such children will be placed in regular classes, which will cause those individual children tremendous difficulties, he said.

Ban

And the ban on substitute teachers from being hired when a teacher is sick for a day or two without a medical cert will mean other classes being swamped with that teacher's pupils, he added.

The impact of the cutbacks is leaving parents "enraged" and much pressure will be exerted on local TDs, he added.

Large numbers of parents and teachers are expected to throng the streets around Leinster House for the 6.30pm protest tomorrow.

- Alan O'Keeffe