asked the Minister for Education if he would amend Rule 92 (2) of the Rules and Regulations for Teachers in National Schools to permit teachers who are members of county councils to attend meetings of their particular council if such meetings are held on days on which school is ordinarily in operation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Teachers and County Councils.
Rule 92 (3) enables teachers of national schools to absent themselves from school under certain conditions to attend meetings of committees of which they are members and which are established under county, borough or urban councils. The committees mentioned in the rule are scholarship committees, vocational education committees, library committees and school medical service committees, all of which are concerned with issues of an educational nature. In view of this arrangement, it is not apparent that there is a necessity for a revision of the terms of the existing Rule 92 (2) the purpose of which is to ensure that school work will not be unnecessarily interrupted by the absence of teachers who are members of county councils or other statutory local bodies.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that five persons, members of Galway County Council, will be disfranchised because they happen also to be teachers on next Monday, February 28th, the Minister for Local Government having called a statutory meeting of the county council at the hour of 12.30 p.m. on that day? In view of the fact that these five county councillors and the people they represent will be disfranchised—it is a very important meeting, and I am sure the same thing is happening in other local bodies—would the Parliamentary Secretary ask the Minister for Education to have this rule revised, so that teachers who are members of county councils or other local bodies will be able to attend these statutory meetings without loss of salary or pension rights?
I will bring it to the notice of the Minister.