asked the Minister for Education whether he is aware that the meal interval during school hours, introduced during the emergency on account of scarcity of fuel and of gas rationing, is a hardship on children through causing them to make a double journey daily, and a burden on parents who have to provide bus fares for the extra journeys; and, if so, whether he will now consider a reversion to the former hours of attendance.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Meal Interval.
The arrangement of time-tables in national schools is a matter for the local managers, subject to the requirements of the rules and regulations. It is open to the manager of a school to arrange the time-table so that the school day shall consist of one meeting with an interval for recreation of half an hour or longer, but not as a rule exceeding one hour: or he may arrange to have a school day of two meetings with an interval of more than an hour between the meetings.
I have heard that many parents prefer the dual-day arrangement as it affords the children an opportunity of having a hot mid-day meal at home. Others favour the one-meeting school day with a short interval for recreation. In these circumstances it would obviously not be possible to devise any arrangement which would be acceptable to all concerned.