Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Apr 1933

Vol. 46 No. 17

In Committee on Finance. - Vote No. 45—Office of the Minister for Education (Resumed).

Debate resumed on the following motion:—

Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £109,608 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníochta i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1934, chun Costaisí Oifig an Aire Oideachais, maraon le Costas Riaracháin, Cigireachta, etc.

That a sum not exceeding £109,608 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1934, for the Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Education, including the cost of Administration, Inspection, etc.—(Minister for Finance).

General Mulcahy

We were asking yesterday evening for greater constructive critical thought as to the position of the Irish language on the part of people who speak about the position in the schools, and the position of education generally in the schools, and we turned aside to the big position the Irish language holds in the Report of the Minister for Education. Practically speaking, it is the main burden of his report. Here I draw attention to the fact that we are unfortunately in the position that there is no machinery available or responsible to the House to give the people interested — as the people of the country as a whole are interested — in the saving of the Irish language as a living language, information as to how that position stood from time to time. I was suggesting to the Minister that the Deputy who intervened might take the responsibility upon himself. I think he would find that the people would be grateful to him.

Speaking of the position of Irish in the schools, I refer again generally to the position that the Minister finds himself up against. He explained in November last that in the whole of what is called the Irish speaking districts 422, or 41 per cent., were schools in which Irish was the medium in which the entire work was conceived or carried out, the position being that the teaching staff was not available in these districts. We do not know when a teaching staff is going to be available in these districts which would enable the Minister to report that 100 per cent. of the schools in the purely Irish-speaking districts were doing their ordinary work through the medium of the natural language. This information was provided in May last. It was then 12 months old, having been collected with the agricultural statistics, showing the position of the language as a living language in the homes in districts called Irish-speaking districts. The information was that out of 31,545 families in these districts only in 10,775 of these families was Irish, which was the natural language of the old people also the natural language of the young people. In 14,305 or 45 per cent. of the families in the purely Irish-speaking districts, where Irish was the natural language of the older people, it was not the natural language of the children.

In 20 per cent. of the families in what are called purely Irish-speaking districts English was the natural language of the older people and the young people. That is the linguistic conditions of the people served by the schools which the Minister says was only staffed to the extent of 41 per cent. to teach through the medium of Irish. That provides a problem to which Deputies interested in the matter might bring some constructive thought to bear, rather than serving up the suggestion that English must be wiped out of our schools.

Deputy O'Brien says that if the Report of the Gaeltacht Commission was put into force it could be done in the morning. If the Deputy is seriously interested in putting Irish as the only language of instruction into the Irish-speaking districts, that is, in 59 per cent. of 432 schools in the purely Irish-speaking districts, will he say what part of the Gaeltacht Commission's Report put into operation at once would settle that difficulty for the Minister? If he can we will be very grateful, and no one will be more grateful than the Minister. When we come to the partly Irish-speaking districts, where in 11,000 homes out of 50,000 homes Irish is the sole natural language of the older people, we find that the position is very bad from the point of view of the language being passed on. Out of 51,000 only in 1,000 is Irish the natural language of the children. Although Irish is the natural language of the parents in 10,000 homes, the natural language of the children is English, and in 39,000 cases, or in 77 per cent. of the families in the partly Irish-speaking districts, English is the natural language of both parents and children. In the areas where you have that valuable residue of the living language amongst the older people, we are told by the Minister that in eight schools alone out of 780 is Irish entirely the medium of instruction. The Minister is entitled to any help he can get from any Deputies who have opinions as to how that state of affairs might be improved. It is no good coming in and saying: "Cuir Bearla amach as na scoileanna."

I ask the Minister again to consider the question of having a separate Irish inspectorate for those districts which may in any way be called Irish-speaking, because there is not only a definite problem there as regards the schools, but a definite problem as regards the effect the schools will have of getting the language in these districts into the day to day language of the population. It is not criticising the inspectorate in a way that is unreasonable, or not criticising them in a way that is simply critical or unhelpful to say that the inspectorate have not, in their outlook on their work, anything that would be a driving force to help them in the concentrated way in which it is necessary to have work done that would help them to get the best and the quickest method in improving the conditions in the Irish-speaking districts.

I referred last night to the position in Dublin where, because of the greater number of people, you have a more concentrated opinion than elsewhere, looking to the Department of Education to give them in primary education, and also in secondary education, facilities throughout the whole educational life of the child, through the medium of Irish.

All my experience makes me feel that there is lacking in Dublin a real appreciation of the watch and the assistance that it is necessary should be given from the Department of Education itself, and from some particular branch of the inspectorate, to help in every possible and quick way in having satisfactory arrangements made for giving primary education entirely through the medium of Irish to boys and girls in Dublin. The same applies to secondary education. I referred to difficulties in which an initial effort was made. I said that the residue of difficulty arising from that period still lies around the primary schools of the City of Dublin that are entirely Irish-speaking. I would ask the Minister to keep a watch over the development of those schools, and to see that there is an inspectorial check on the type of child that passes into the purely Irish-speaking schools. To give effective primary education through the medium of Irish in the City of Dublin is difficult enough, but it can be done, and is being done satisfactorily. At the same time, it is being done under difficulties that ought to be avoided, and that will prejudice the development of primary education through the medium of Irish if they are not avoided.

The Minister himself, speaking on the difficulty of developing secondary education for boys entirely through the medium of Irish, referred to one of the difficulties being the insufficient qualification of the boys in the Irish language. If that is a difficulty in the secondary school it is also a difficulty in the primary school. Although a preparatory school has been set up here to take non-Irish speaking infants who are intended to receive their primary education entirely through the medium of Irish, I would ask that a critical examination be made of the material coming from that school — whether boys or girls — before they are transferred to the primary schools. Again, in speaking of the difficulties in the matter of secondary education, particularly as regards boys, although the Minister mentioned a number, he did not talk of the difficulty in the matter of accommodation. The Minister knows that there is that difficulty, and that the start made in the matter of providing secondary education through the medium of Irish for boys in the City of Dublin is being prejudiced by the lack of suitable accommodation. I know that it was intended to provide or help in the provision of such accommodation, and that there have been difficulties about that, but I would impress on the Minister that assistance is necessary and urgent in the matter of provision of suitable accommodation in connection with the secondary education of boys in the city, and — to harp back to primary education again — that the development of primary education through the medium of Irish, in the city particularly, is being stifled by the absence of suitable accommodation.

I was told some time ago that there are 200 children unable to get into the special preparatory school in Marlborough Street through want of accommodation. I understand that the primary school in the south side of the city — Scoil Brigidh — is also in difficulties in this connection. In this matter, and in the review of the standard that is being attempted and the standard that is being reached in both primary and secondary schools in the City of Dublin, I would ask that there be that assistance in regard to the inspectorate which I suggest is absolutely essential in connection with the inspectorate in the Irish-speaking districts.

Deputies have spoken here as to the necessity for teaching local history through the medium of Irish. I think that that is being done, and that it is both local and modern. I know of houses to which children come home from schools in the north side of the city, and so far as history is concerned they are quite local and quite modern; they are able to say: "Sé Seán T. O Ceallaigh do chuir na Sasanaigh amach as Eirinn." There is nothing to be complained about in the local or the modern aspect of that history. I know it is a theory, among some people who are inclined to be careless of the standard they require, to suggest: "Oh, any children may be put into the Irish-speaking schools, because children really learn Irish from the other children more than they do from the teachers." I do not know whether the kind of history I speak of is learned from the other children or from the teachers but I suggest that the Minister should take an opportunity of replying on those Estimates to the demand that has been made by the national school teachers for information as to how they stand with regard to the Pensions Fund lest the history-teaching take a different turn. There is nothing in the Estimates that are before this House from which —

Mr. Derrig

May I point out to the Deputy that the Pension Fund is not under the control of the Minister for Education? It is under the control of the Minister for Finance.

General Mulcahy

It does provide an opportunity for saying a few brief words, which would not be more out of order than some of the other things said here on these Estimates — to give the teacher a little bit of information, particularly in view of the fact that it may affect the teaching of history in the schools.

I should like to revert to a matter I mentioned here before, and that is the question of physical education in the schools. The Minister has said nothing about it, and I would like to ask him to take an interest in the matter. Again, I repeat that it is a very one-legged business to be spending large sums of public money in looking after the health of the children from the point of view of taking out teeth, adenoids and tonsils, without having any systematic way of setting children up either afterwards or before. There are some schools in which there is satisfactory physical instruction given, with resultant educational benefit. While a considerable amount of work has been done in the secondary schools in that matter, although the secondary schools get grants for music, choirs and so on, I do not think there is any subsidy for physical education. I say it is a one-sided business to be training the children in the schools from the point of view of the county medical officer of health, without training them from the point of view of physical education.

The Minister, in his introductory statement, made a certain amount of reference to the position of the chief executive officer in the vocational educational schools. He said that the chief executive officer requires to have a good education, or good experience in general matters concerned with the world; that he requires a special training in his own work, and that if he has not that it will be very difficult for him to arrange and to correlate the different courses of instruction as between the ordinary educational subjects and those that deal with industry and agriculture. Again, he must know sufficient about schools and about students so that there will be no great difficulty in his settling any difficulty that may arise, and doing it in a sensible and understanding way. He says that men of this kind are scarce, that we must seek them out and induce them to take up these profitable positions under the committees if we want the work of the committees to go ahead properly.

Now, I subscribe to all that the Minister says with regard to the importance of the chief executive officers of vocational education committees. I agree that they are not as plentiful in the country as we would like to see; that the experience that the Minister speaks about is necessary, and that they do require some inducement to take up the very difficult work that lies before them. If the work of the vocational education committees is going to be brought into full connection with the industrial and agricultural life of the country, it requires a lot of improvement and a considerable drive towards progress. I submit that the Minister's policy, he being a member of the Executive Council, puts a very serious obstacle in his getting the type of man that he is looking for. A man looking for posts now as chief executive officer under vocational education committees, not only has to be selected after interview by a selection committee, but instead of facing a selection committee knowing that if he is the best man in the eyes of the committee that has been set up specially to deal with the matter — a committee fully qualified to make a selection — he will get the position, he is put by the Minister's policy into this position: that if he is selected as the best man he has to go and canvas and cadge locally not only among the members of the local vocational education committee, but to get after them through the medium of their friends, political and otherwise. He knows all that faces him. If unsuccessful, after running that kind of gauntlet, he has a stain on his professional escutcheon because of the fact that he was turned down by this county and that county, and perhaps another county, in looking for a position, although he may have been absolutely the outstanding man for the position, but political and local considerations were allowed to drag across the principle of appointing the best man. I submit to the Minister that his policy is utterly detrimental to what he says he has at heart. I would ask him to see whether a review and a change in that position would not make a satisfactory development of the work of his vocational education committees more rosy than it is, perhaps, at the moment.

Cormac Breathnach.

Traosluím don Aire mar gheall ar an óráid a thug sé as Gaedhilg ar fad. Chuir sé áthas agus bród, ní hamháin ar Theachtaí na Dála, ach ar Ghaedhilgeoirí uile. Rinne an Teachta Ó Díolúin agus an Teachta Antóin tagairt d'abhair léighinn atá á múineadh tríd an nGaedhilg. Ní dóich liom go bhfuil aon chúis ghearáin fén rud so. Tá rialacha soiléire leagtha amach in a thaobh so. In aon scoil ina bhfuil na múinteoirí oilte go leor chun múineadh do dhéanamh tríd an nGaedhilg, agus ina bhfuil na páistí ábalta ar an dteagasc san do thuiscint, is ceart agus is cóir teagasc do thabhairt tríd an nGaedhilg ach nuair ná fuil an múinteoir oilte go leor ná a ndóthain Gaedhilge ag na páistí chuige seo, ní ceart é dhéanamh. Tá an dá choinníoll san ann. Má tá an Roinn, no eigire no bainisteoir no aon duine eile ag briseadh na rialacha so, ní ceart é. Deich mbliana o shoin, rinneadh iarracht ar é seo do dhéanamh i seoileanna ná raibh na múinteoirí ná na páistí oilte go leor chuige, ach níor bhfada gur cuireadh deire leis. Ní bhaineann na rialacha so le scoileanna na naoidhneán. Ní bhíonn thar 300 focal Béarla no mar sin ag páiste trí bliana d'aois i scoil sa Ghalldacht, agus is cuma ce'ca as Gaedhilg nó as Béarla a tugtar an teagasc dóibh. Mar gheall air sin, is ceart an teagasc do bheith as Gaedhilg i scoileanna na naoidhneán.

Do mhol an Teachta Ó Díolúin — agus is dóich liom gur mhol an Teachta Ua Maolchatha an rud céanna — Coiste do chur ar bun chun staid na Gaedhilge sna scoileanna do bhreithniú.

Risteárd Ua Maolchatha

Gníomh atá uaim.

Cormac Breathnach

Ní féidir gníomh do dhéanamh gan bun-eolas do bheith ag duine. Nílim 'na choinne sin, ach bfhearr liom comhairle oideachais do chur ar bun do réir Bunreacht an tSaorstáit. Bheadh an Chomhairle sin in án congnamh agus eolas do thabhairt don Aire agus don Roinn ar chúrsaí oideachais.

Risteárd Ua Maolchatha

B'fearr liom aon fhear nó aon bhean ná Comhairle ná Coiste.

Cormac Breathnach

An saighdiúir atá taobh thiar den smaoineamh san? Rinne an Teachta Antóin tagairt don chlár agus dubhairt sé go raibh sé ró-throm. Aontuím leis sin. Admhuím go bhfuil an clár ró-mhór do scoil bheirte. B'fhéidir go bhfuil an clár oiriúnach do scoil in mBaile Átha Cliath ina bhfuil múinteoir fé leith do gach rang, ach i scoileanna fén dtuaith ina bhfuil trí nó cheithre ranganna fé mhúinteoir amháin, ní ceart an clár do chur i bhfeidhm. Tá Cumann na Múinteoirí a d'iarraidh an chláir seo do laghdú, agus tá áthas orm go bhfuil an tAire comh-choisde de mhúinteoirí agus do chigirí a chur ar bun chun an chláir d'iniúchadh. Sin dul chun cinn a thaithneann liom.

Dubhairt an Teachta O Ciosáin go mba cheart aithniúint fé leith do thabhairt do scoileanna a chuireann páistí chuig feiseanna. Ní aontuím leis sin. Dá ndeintí é sin, dhéanfadh sé diobháil. Bheadh éad i mease na scoileanna ná faghadh an aithniúint sin—rud ná fuil ag teastáil uainn. Do mhol sé, leis, drámaíocht do mhúineadh sna coláistí oiliúna. 'Sé mo thuairim-se go bhfuil clár na gcoláistí so lán go leór fé láthair agus níl aon bhaint ag múinteoirí le cúrsaí drámaíochta. Tá go leór le déauamh acu. Is dóich liom gur leór dráma no dhó a léiriú 'sa bhliain, ceann um Nodlaig agus ceann um Cháisg, agus ní chreidim gur cheart drámaíocht do chur ar an gclár mar adhar léighinn. Ní fheadar an bhfuil baint ag an gCómhar Drámaíochta leis an meastachán so?

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Ní fheadar-sa ach oiread.

Tomás O Deirg

Tá.

Cormac Breathnach

Tá obair dhianmhaith á dhéanamh ag an gCómhar Drámaíochta i mBaile Átha Cliath agus i nGaillimh, ach is dóich liom gur féidir níos mó tairbhe do bhaint as an airgead atá á chaitheamh air, dá gcaithtí an t-airgead mar seo. Fé mar atá an scéal fé láthair, níl aon tsolus ná solás á thabhairt ag an gCómhar Drámuíochta ach amháin do lucht na Stát-Sheirbhíse, d'Airí, do mhúinteoirí agus do dhaoine eile i mBaile Atha Cliath agus i nGaillimh. B'fhearr liom go mór go gcaithfí an t-airgead chun saoil doilbhir muintir na tuatha do ghealadh. B'fhearr liom dá dtabharfaí deontas £20 no mar sin do bhuidhean aisteoirí i mBaile Mhúirne no na Spidéal no sna Rosa chun drámaí do léiriú. Dhéanfadh san níos mó chun saoil na ndaoine do ghealadh ná mar atá á dhéanamh fén scéim atá i bhfeidhm fé láthair. Tá súil agam go bhféachfaidh an tAire isteach sa scéal san.

Rinne an Teachta Tomás O Ceallaigh tagairt do chúrsaí ceoil. Isé rud a chuireann iongna orm ná sinne do bheith ag múineadh ceóil ar feadh deich mblian agus nár chuala páistí ag canadh amhráin Ghaedhilge ar na srádeanna ach amháin dhá uair. Tá comhacht éigin ag an "Jazz" sa chathair seo agus ní thuigim cén fáth. Ní fheadar an bhfuil a mhalairt de scéal ag Teachtaí eile ach sin é an scéal atá agam-sa. Tá an "Jazz" in uachtar.

Risteárd Ua Maolchatha

Ní deireann an Teachta gur ar na scoileanna atá an milleán mar gheall air sin?

Cormac Breathnach

Ní abraim san. Tá an obair á dhéanamh go maith sna scoileanna ach ní ghabhann na páistí amhráin Ghaedhilge ar na sráideanna. Ba mhaith liom tagairt do dhéanamh anso don obair atá á dhéanamh ag Colonel Fritz Brasé agus na cuirmeacha ceóil a thugann sé do sna páistí. Tá moladh tuillte aige de bharr na hoibre atá déanta aige ar son an cheóil Ghaedhealaigh i mBaile Atha Cliath.

Do mhol an Teachta Ua Maolchatha rud a thaithn go mór liom. Dubhairt sé go mba cheart cigire no cigireacht fé leith——

Risteárd Ua Maolchatha

"Cigireacht" adubhart.

Cormac Breathnach

Cigireacht do chur ar bun i gcóir na Gaeltachta. Aontuím leis sin go láidir. Scéal leis féin seadh scéal na Gaeltachta. An scéal atá annsan, is scéal é ná fuil in aon áit eile 'sa tír. Dubhairt an tAire go raibh sé ar tí scoileanna beaga trí seomraí do thógáil 'sa Ghaeltacht agus má dheineann sé sin, beidh géur-ghádh le cigireacht den tsaghas a mhol an Teachta Ua Maolchatha. Tá súil agam go gcuirfidh an tAire an cheist seo fé scrúdú agus go ndéanfa sé rud éigin in a thaobh sar a mbeidh an meastachán so os ár gcomhair arís.

Do mhol an Teachta Donnchadh O Briain an Sacs-Bheárla do ruagadh amach as na scoileanna ar fad. Aontuím leis, ar dhá choinioll: gan an Sacs-Bhéurla do bheith ann mar ghléas teagaisc ach é bheith ann mar abhar léighinn. Tá an dá shaghas Béarla ann—Béarla mar ghléas teagaisc agus Béarla mar abhar léighinn. Tá an Béarla mar ghléas teagaisc ag déanamh díobhála ach ba cheart Béarla do bheith ann mar abhar léighinn mar atá sna Coláistí Oiliúna. Ní aontuím leis an Teachta go mba mhaith an rud an Béarla do cheilt ar na daoine óga. Tá a lán eolais, léighinn, litríochta agus drámaiochta ar fáil sa tSacs-Bhearla ná fuil againne. Ní dóich liom féin gur cheart an t-eolas san do cheilt ar na páistí—go dtí go mbeidh rud eigin d'ár gcuid féin le cur in a ionad ar aon chuma. Chó fáda agus a théigheann an Béarla mar ghléas teagaisc aontuím leis an dTeachta.

Tá beartuithe ag an Aire scoláireachtaí áirithe do thabhairt do pháistí na fíor-Ghaeltachta ach isé tuairim an Aire gur cheart Béarla a bheith riachtanach mar adhar le haghaidh na scoláireachtaí seo. Sin rud ná tuigim. Nuair a deintear Béarla riachtanach san nGaeltacht deintear breac-Ghaeltacht den Ghaeltacht. Níl éinne i gcoinne Sacs-Bhéarla mar adhar neamh-riachtanach i gcóir na scoláireachtaí seo ach ní ceart é bheith ar an gclár mar adhar riachtanach. Ní dóich liom go bhfuil sé do réir an chuspóra atá leagtha amach—'sé sin Béarla do chur ar gcúl chó fáda agus is féidir sa Ghaeltacht.

Chuir óráid an Aire áthas agus bród orainn mar gheall ar an obair atá á dhéanamh i gcúrsaí oideachais sa tSaorstát. Do chuir sé in úil dúinn an obair fhónta atá á dhéanamh ag na múinteoirí sna scoileanna. Ba mhaith liom an méid adubhairt sé do chur 'na luighe ar an nDáil, sé sin go bhfuil 60% de sna múinteoirí éifeachtach, 35% sár-éifeachtach agus 5% neamh-éifeachtach. Is mór an moladh é sin do sna múinteoirí—go bhfuil 95% díobh ag déanamh obair fhónta sna scoileanna. Caithfe mé a rá nách deas liom an modh ina bhfuil na múinteoirí roinnte ag an Rialtas—"éifeachtach,""sar-éifeachtach" agus "neamh-éifeachtach." Cuireann sé sin i gcuimhne dhom taisbeántas bheithioch agus na ribíní dearg agus gorm agus bán a bhíonn ann i gcóir an cheád, an dara agus an tríú grád. Seo rud na deintear in aon tSeirbhís eile fén Rialtas. Ní deintear é í gcás múinteoirí na meán-scoileanna ná i gcás lucht na hOllscoile. Ba cheart obair fhónta d'aithniúint, creidiúnt do thabhairt dá réir, agus deire do chur leis an nos atá ann fé láthair.

Cé go bhfuil sár-obair á dhéanamh ag na múinteoirí, ní samhluítear dom go dtuigeann an tAire Airgid chó comhachtach agus atá sé do réir an Bhille Sheirbhísí Puiblí a tugadh isteach cúpla lá ó shoin. Mar gheall air sin ba mhaith liom alt do léigheamh as tuarasgabháil na Roinne i gcóir na bliana 1931:

"In considering the work accomplished by teachers one must have regard to considerations other than mere proficiency and success in examinations. The inspector, in reviewing the teacher's work, gives an important place to the teacher's function in the training of character, and to the behaviour, manners and deportment of the children. Frequently this aspect of the teacher's work is the hardest to assess correctly. The discipline of the school is as much moral as intellectual. There, habits are formed for good or evil. From the example of his master, from the example of his fellows, the character of the future citizen is being formed. Will he be honest and truthful, will he be kind and courteous, will he be self-centred or will he have his life coloured by an ideal, will he be faithful to the best traditions of his race and will his outlook be Irish? These questions will to some extent be determined by ‘little nameless, unrecorded acts' of school life, by the sympathetic guidance and friendly admonition of a good master.

"In this connection an inspector writes:—

"‘Cad a gheibheann an leanbh as an obair go léir? Múintear cneastacht is deigh-bhéasa dhó. Múineann na h-oidí creideamh is deinid a lán dona scolaírí nach mbíonn innsint scéal air.'"

Is fíor an méid sin agus is dóich liom go mba chóir do sna daoine meas a bheith acu, dá réir, ar obair na múintcoiri. Is eagal liom, ámh, ná fuil an meas san ar a bhfuil déanta ag na múinteoirí.

Ag labhairt ar an Meastachán so anuiridh dom, do dheineas tagairt do chúrsai no hoifige féin agus don bheagán úsáide a baintear as an nGaedhilg i gnóthaí na hoifige. Do scríobhadh leitreacha i mBéarla go dtí muintir na Fíor-Ghaeltachta. Níl fhios agam an bhfuil san á dhéanamh fós ach, má tá, iarraim ar an Aire an scéal d'atharú i dtreo gur i nGaedhilg a scríobhfar gach leitir a seolfar chun na Gaeltachta feasta. Ní haon mhaith an Roinn a bheith ag gríosadh na múinteoirí agus na bpáistí mar gheall ar an nGaedhilg mara mbaintear úsáid aisti in Oifig an Oideachais féin. "Dein mar a deirim, ach ná dein mar a dheinim"—sin é an scéal atá ag an Oifig í gcúrsaí gnótha.

Dheineas gearán anuiridh agus tá an gearán céanna le déanamh agam i mbliana—ná tugann an Roinn solas no léargus do sna múinteoirí i dtaobh modh múinte na Gaedhilge. Do gealladh dúinn go dtabharfaí "notaí" dhóibh ach ní bhfuaradar léas solais i dtaobh an scéil ón oifig fós. Is mithid tosnú ar an rud san do dhéanamh. Tá gearán le déanamh agam i dtaobh na tuarasgabhála a cuirtear amach gach bliain ón Roinn. Bíonn na tuarasgabhála so tur agus tirim agus ní bhíonn ann ach freagraí ar cheisteanna oifige. Go minic sé deir cigirí ná: "Ní dheineann na múinteoirí so"; no: "Ní dheineann na múinteoirí siúd." Ní fios cá bhfaghann na cigirí an méid eolais atá acu ar na múinteoirí. Rachaidh cigire chun scoile áirithe uair na dhó sa bhliain agus níl fhios agam conus a gheibheann sé an t-eolas ar na rudaí a dheineann an múinteoir agus ar na rudaí ná deineann sé taobh amuigh d'obair na scoile. Is beag ná go dtugtar masla dos na múinteoirí uile ó am go h-am ins na tuarasgabhála so.

Maidir leis na eigirí, tá na múinteóirí lán-tsásta le na bhfurmhór ach tá cigirí ann atá ró-dhian agus atá tugtha do locht fháil. Sean-ghearán iseadh é sin. Rud eile, níl na cigirí chó cabhruitheach agus ba chóir. In ionad a bheith ag scríobhadh gearáin sna leabhra, ba chóir don chirgire dul don gelár-dubh, píosa cailce d'fháil agus a theasbáint don mhúinteóir conus an locht do leigheas. Sin rud ná deintear. Tá céard na cailce caillte acu. B'fheidir nách ar na cigirí atá an locht ar fad, ach ar an slí oibre. Bíonn orra a lán oibre do dhéanamh seachas cigireacht. Bíonn orra páipéir do scrúdú le haghaidh teastas na n-oidí agus le h-aghaidh scoláireachtai do leanbhai na mbunscol. Dubhairt cigire liom gur chaith sé an tríú cuid den bhliain ag gabháil d'obair seachas cigireacht. Más fíor é sin, ní ceart é. Má tá an méid sin oibre le déanamh ag cigire, ní féidir do bheith chó dúthrachtach agus ba chóir i n-obair na scol.

Mholfhainn don Aire an taos scoile d'árdú go dtí 15 bliana déag ó thosach na scoil-bhliana seo chughainn. Fágann leanbhí an scoil anois ar shlánú na 14 bliana dóibh agus ní ar foghnamh a chaitheann siad a saoghal go minic. B'fhearr go mór dóibh beith ar scoil ná bheith ag seasamh ag cúiní sráide. Rud eile tá droch-bhéas ag lucht gnótha agus lucht monarcain leanbhaí a chur ag obair de bhrigh ná bionn orra ach beagán tuarasdail a thabhairt dóibh. Tá de thorradh ar seo gur minic leanbh ag obair i n-áit duine fásta. Ní rud maith don tír é sin. Tá fhios againn go maith go bhfuil ceal oibre ag luighe go dian ar an dtir seo fé lathair agus aon obair atá le fagháil ba cheart é thabhairt do dhaoine fásta comh fada agus is féidir sin. Is minic indiu gurab é an leanbh i n-ionad an athar a chimeádann a tig suas. Ní rachaidh san chun tairbhe na tíre agus ba chóir deire a chur leis. Dá ndeineadh an t-Aire an t-aos scoile d'árdú bheadh sé ag déanamh a chion féin chun an scéil do leigheas.

Tairigim go dtugtar tuarasgabháil ar ar deineadh.

Progress reported.