Independent News & Media withdraws token scheme
By Colin Coyle
Sunday Times 31st January 2010
Independent News & Media has suspended a commercial promotion for primary schools after objections from the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).
Building for the Future, a promotion that originally required pupils to collect tokens to enter a competition, will now be altered so that schools do not have to buy newspapers to take part, the media group said.
56 Primary Principals speak out against Independent Newspapers’ scheme.
“We the undersigned 50 Primary school principals condemn and refuse to partake in the Irish Independent’s “Building for the Future” scheme being launched this week.
We abhor the quota of 20 tokens per pupil from Independent Newspapers required of all schools wishing to submit a project for this sponsored competition.
INTO Calls for an End to Commercial Exploitation of School Children
The INTO has said primary teachers should not support advertising projects by commercial companies which target children or their families through schools. The union made its announcement following the launch of a project promoted by the Irish Independent and sponsored by Bank of Ireland.
“Bank of Ireland is one of the financial institutions that contributed to this country’s economic collapse,” said Ms Ní Chuinneagáin. “It has been bailed out to date with 3.5 billion in state aid so far with more taxpayers money expected to be pumped into it. Just today, it is set to get 11.5 billion of taxpayers money through the NAMA scheme to pay for its reckless lending to developers and speculators.” Read the story »
AIB’s “Build a Bailed-Out Bank Challenge”
Unabashed by its toxic debts, beleaguered shareholders and allegations of gross mismanagement, AIB persists in approaching Irish secondary schools to teach students “money-management” and “key business skills”.
