asked the Minister for Education if he will state in respect of secondary school capitation grants (a) the present rates and the qualifying conditions of payment, and (b) when they were last increased.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Secondary School Capitation Grants.
19.
The present rates of capitation grant payable to the managers of recognised secondary schools and the conditions on which they are paid are given in Rules 9 to 17 of the Rules for the Payment of Grants to Secondary Schools. I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate a statement of Rules 9 to 17 with the Official Report.
The present rates of grant are in operation since 1 August, 1954.
Following is the statement:
Rules 9 to 17 of the Rules for the Payment of Grants to Secondary Schools.
Section III—Capitation Grant.
9. (a) Capitation Grant at rates not exceeding those shown in the following table may be paid to the Manager of a secondary school recognised by the Minister in accordance with these rules in respect of each recognised pupil who was in attendance on or before October 15th provided that attendance on or before that date will not be required for the purpose of this rule in the case of a pupil necessarily absent owing to illness, as proved by a medical certificate:
|
No. of attendances as recognised pupil |
Recognised senior pupils |
Recognised junior pupils over 12 years of age |
Recognised junior pupils under 12 years of age |
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
130 or over |
16 |
11 |
8 |
|
115—129 |
12 |
9 |
6 |
|
100—114 |
10 |
7 |
5 |
|
70—99 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
(b) The Grant may be reduced or withheld in respect of any pupil, class or school for violation or nonobservance of any of the rules and regulations made by the Minister in regard to Secondary Schools.
10. Payment of the Grant in respect of any pupil may be withheld if, in the opinion of the Minister, the pupil (a) is unable to profit fully by the instruction in the class in which he is enrolled, or (b) has not reached a sufficient standard of education for admission to a secondary school class.
11. Grant shall not be payable in respect of the same pupil for more than four years as a recognised junior pupil, or for more than two years as a recognised senior pupil. It may, however, be paid for a third year in respect of a recognised senior pupil who, not having obtained a Pass with Honours at the Leaving Certificate Examination at the end of his second year, obtains a Pass with Honours at the examination at the end of his third year.
12. When a recognised pupil has been transferred from one secondary school to another during the school year, the Grant in respect of that pupil may be divided between the two schools in such proportion as the Minister may think fit, or the Minister may direct that the whole or any portion of the Grant be paid to one of the schools, or he may refuse to pay any grant in respect of that pupil.
13 (a) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, in consideration of the high standard of efficiency of the instruction in a school in any year, increase the Capitation Grant payable to the school in respect of that year by a sum not exceeding one-tenth of such grant.
(b) This increase in grant shall not be payable until the high standard of efficiency has been maintained for three successive years.
14. The Capitation Grant in the case of any school may, after due notice, be reduced in respect of any year in which adequate provision is not made for carrying out the Minister's regulations.
15. (a) The Grant for any school year may, after due notice, be reduced or withheld in respect of a class in which the instruction did not reach a satisfactory standard or the number of pupils was too large for efficient instruction by one teacher.
(b) In case of continued inefficiency of the instruction in a school for two successive years, the Minister may withhold further grant from the school or may withdraw recognition from the school.
16. In the case of a school (or class or classes) in which the standard of oral Irish is not satisfactory, the grant for such school (or class or classes) may be reduced or withheld altogether.
17. The decision of the Minister on questions concerning the efficiency of the instruction in a school for the purpose of these rules will be based mainly on the Inspectors' reports, but the results obtained by the pupils of the school at the Certificate Examinations will also be taken into consideration.
May I compliment the Minister for Education on not telling us that Rules 9 to 17 are to be found in the Library and to go down and look at them as is the custom with many of his senior colleagues?