Before the Adjournment last week I answered Deputies who had protested against the use of the Irish language as a teaching medium in our schools and who stated that the education of the children was being interfered with. Having dealt with that attitude of Deputies from the other side, with regard to the Irish language, I came to address myself to the problem posed by Deputy Mulcahy, also from the opposite benches, in relation to what he called the problem that parents in Dublin face when they want to have their children taught through the medium of Irish in the national schools.
Deputy Mulcahy early on expressed anxiety about the future of Scoil Mhuire. Let me say at the outset that any person who has caused him to have anxiety in this regard was not dealing with facts. It is nonsense to suggest that the Department of Education would interfere with Scoil Mhuire. There are some national schools available to parents which are working within our system very successfully. In relation, however, to the general question of all-Irish schools I would like to explain the position. If in any area there is a sufficiently large number of parents who wish to have their children receive primary education through Irish in a school conducted in accordance with our national school system I can assure them that in their effort to achieve this no obstacle will be placed in their way by any of the authorities connected with the running of national schools.
Deputies expressed satisfaction at the rate of progress now being made in regard to school building. There was a certain amount of dissatisfaction expressed at the toilet facilities in many of our schools. As I have already stated on a number of occasions in this House, it is the policy of my Department, when a new school is being built or an existing school being reconstructed, to have, where at all possible, water flushed sanitation installed in the school. In pursuance of that policy, 300 schools have been provided with such sanitation in the past three years. I must go further now and say that irrespective of any scheme of general reconstruction I intend to press forward so that, in every case where the sanitary arrangements existing are unsatisfactory, the position will be remedied at the earliest possible moment.
With that in mind I propose to take all the necessary steps to bring home to the interested parties how essential it is to put the necessary arrangements in train. I might point out in this connection that when announcing a grant for the painting of schools I did say that the giving of the grant to the manager of the school will depend not alone on his painting of the school but on the general maintenance, and that grants will not be given where painting alone is done and other works in the school are neglected. I hope this will encourage those managers who have done their duty and spur on negligent managers to do what is their duty. Some Deputy asked me how often these grants for painting will be available. It is the intention that for external painting they will be available every four years and for internal painting every eight years.
In regard to the curriculum of the primary schools, everybody interested in education can think of many subjects to add to the curriculum. One of our problems in introducing subjects is that the curriculum is already fairly crowded. However, one of the subjects which many Deputies seemed interested in having taught is civics. While the curriculum is overcrowded I think it would be possible to allow a certain time, perhaps an hour a month to the teaching of civics in schools. How best to teach it is another problem. Text books are not available. Part of the instruction already on the curriculum lends itself to the teaching of civics, as the teaching of history and religious instruction, and indeed the departmental regulations point out to the teachers the desirability of instructing the children on these matters.
I have recently seen a voluntary movement, the Trees for Ireland movement, whose aim it is to go to the schools and encourage the children to plant a tree in the hope they will develop a more constructive attitude towards trees, both ornamental and those of our forests which need to be protected from the carelessness of picnic makers and others who may cause fires. I discussed this type of training with people from other countries with their own educational system and their experience seemed to be that more benefit is derived from group interest and group activity among children rather than from any formal teaching within the school. In many places the children are encouraged to form a group, to follow up a particular interest, to go to various public people and learn from them direct what the duties of the public man are and how he conducts his affairs. I am told that is a much more satisfactory way of teaching children than having a formal course.
One of the difficulties I found in regard to civics, having a special interest in a subject, was the fact that there was no book available, but I have been promised by some people interested in the same line that they will prepare such a book and present it to the Department of Education for scrutiny. They are already working on that book. Many of the things children should know in regard to our Constitution, how to respect the flag and so on, should be taught in the schools, but a great deal must be left to the teacher. As I say, there are many opportunities for the good teacher to teach civics in the course of the teaching of other subjects. If necessary, we shall try to provide a special place in the curriculum, even though it is overcrowded.
When some Deputies mentioned the teaching of history they became quite agitated about the method used in our schools. I read one of the books used in the schools quite recently again and I found nothing in it but history. I think that what is agitating the Deputies may be particular beliefs or bias of the teacher. We depend on the teacher to give a slant on history which will stimulate our young people to efforts along the proper lines for their country in the future. I found nothing in any of the books to support what the Deputies said.
I believe a great deal can be achieved by teaching local history in our various schools. I have tried from time to time to interest teachers in learning something of the local history in which almost every area in the country is very rich. I found a fairly good response from teachers. Apart from linking up the wider history of the nation, it develops a love of the land in the young person which grows into a very desirable patriotism.
The Deputies who praised the C.I.E. educational tours were on the right lines. They have done a great deal to teach our children something of our country and its history. I am disappointed that the traffic seems to be all in the one direction. The country schools are coming on tours to the city of Dublin, which is a very good thing. The children are learning a great deal about the Dáil, the Museum and the factories. I should like to see the teachers in the city turn the eyes of their pupils to the countryside. Not alone would that help them to understand better their brethren from the country but our two main industries, agriculture and tourism, derive from the country. Therefore, pupils can be taught both history and modern general knowledge on tours from the city to the country. I would very much commend the teachers in the city to take the children back to the land on educational tours where many of them can see where their immediate ancestors came from.
A question which interests many Deputies and which interests myself is physical education in our schools. Physical education is an optional subject on the curriculum of national schools. Many of the schools make provision for it. It has a wider connotation now than even in my own time at school when physical education was a series of physical jerks which might not always be very good, as Deputy Sherwin said, for the child who was not quite able for the effort.
However, in recent times, physical education has become a wider subject comprising, apart from better posture and better movement, a learning of the fundamentals of movement, which can be applied to all games, a learning of hygiene and, a very important matter to my mind, safety education. Considering the number of deaths from accidents in the schools age groups, I think safety education must take a very prominent part in our physical education. I believe it is accepted as part of the education in every country.
Physical education, as it should be taught, will require a very special training in teaching. Not all our teachers have that special training. Last year, a highly-qualified professor of physical training and games master was appointed to the training college for men at Drumcondra, St. Patrick's Training College. Therefore, national teachers leaving the training college in future will be equipped to give instruction in physical training, to organise games, to help the child according to his physical abilities, to say something about hygiene and to teach the children about safety. That is just starting. To get quicker results, a series of summer courses for teachers who graduated before this professor was appointed has been arranged. The first of these courses is being held this year for national teachers. From all appearances, it will be a success. I hope it will continue through the years until we have a satisfactory teaching of physical education as distinct from "P.T." which is, if it is any part of it at all, a very small part.
The question of the Coiste Taighde was raised. The Coiste Taighde, a research committee in the Department of Education, has had a minute examination of "Notes for Teachers" carried out. This is something more complex than the name would give one to understand. It is a vade mecum which teachers find very useful. For the first time since 1934, these notes are having complete revision.
The research committee has also been examining the readers in Irish, a problem many teachers brought to my notice two years ago. The readers have been subject to criticism by the teachers on the ground that there is a general absence of planning for each series of readers, that they are not effectively graded by lesson or by standard and that in many cases they are too difficult for the standard for which they are intended. The committee has formulated revised instructions to publishers in regard to the grading and the standard of readers and is at present investigating, in consultation with the national teachers and inspectors, the vocabulary appropriate to a reader, say, for Standard 1. When all this work is done and the examination is complete—when the suggestions as to vocabulary, subject matter, and so on, have been received —instructions will be sent to the publishers to be used in conjunction with the revised instructions in the preparation of the new readers.
Some Deputies referred to handicapped children. It may be worth while pointing out that there is more than one type of handicap. There is quite a range, varying from the child suffering from a prolonged illness, such as primary tuberculosis, but who is otherwise not limited in any way in his capacity to learn, to children who are limited in their capacity to learn either by reason of defects of the ears or eyes or by reason of limited intelligence. The total number of schools for these is about 30. I have heard very great praise for these special schools from visitors to this country. It has been brought home to me that we are getting from the dedicated people running these schools very great value indeed for the money we are spending.
In an institution where children are kept for a long time because of illness, birth injury or congenital deformity, if there are a sufficient number of children in the school to receive primary education, then the head of the institution can become a school manager and seek recognition from the Department of Education to have a national school in the institution. That is how the Department of Education come to deal with defective children. We are not responsible for providing accommodation or nursing for them—that is a matter for the Department of Health —but when there are a sufficient number of children in these institutions to benefit from primary education, then the Department of Education will recognise a school there and pay the teachers.
Apart from handicapped children in these institutions, there is the problem of children who are slow. Many of these children suffer from lack of attention when doing their lessons. The two main problems are: large classes, making it difficult for the teacher to give such children special attention, and the absence of trained personnel. As I said when introducing the Estimate, the ratio between teachers and pupils has been improved four times in the past four years. So far as we are able to get trained teachers, we are improving that ratio. The question of teachers trained to give special instruction has been taken up this year. As announced, a special course for trained teachers to enable them get the instruction necessary to deal with retarded children will be run at St. Patrick's Training College. That course will be carried on each year in future, so that we will have a supply of teachers capable of taking care of these classes. It is hoped that by giving special training to inspectors and teachers, we will be able to pick out of classes the children who can benefit from special treatment.
Somebody asked me where were all the institutions I mentioned. I shall not name all the 30 institutions which deal with the blind, deaf and dumb and so on, but I shall mention those for mentally retarded children. They are, for boys: St. Augustine's, Blackrock; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Cork; St. Bernadette's, Cork; and for girls: St. Teresa's, Temple Hill, Blackrock; St. Michael's (Holy Angels), Glenmaroon; St. Mary's, Delvin; Queen of Angels, Cork; and mixed: Sunbeam House, Bray. Recently a new school for girls has been opened at Limerick. There is a centre also at St. Michael's House day centre, Dublin. The position about the special schools for retarded children is that we have more accommodation than is being used, but not nearly as much as we would need if all the children who could benefit sought accommodation. That is school accommodation and not hospital accommodation, which is another problem. I believe the hospital accommodation is filled.
Deputies will notice that whenever we speak about the teaching of history, civics, the educational care of retarded and handicapped children, and so on, we always come back to the problem of the teacher. The person mainly concerned in carrying out what we would all like to see done is the teacher. For that reason, and many others, I resented it very much when, not in this House but outside it, some people created the impression that this Government had established a new situation in relation to teachers' salaries. Because of that and because of references by Deputies during the debate, I think I should say something about the Committee on Teachers' Salaries.
The reports of this Committee were published recently. A certain amount of dissatisfaction was expressed with the outcome of the Committee's deliberations. The Committee was set up in December, 1958. As Deputies are aware, there are three classes of teachers: national, secondary and vocational. They have separate schemes of conciliation and arbitration dealing with salary claims. The three schemes function completely independently of each other. In 1955, the national teachers through their scheme formulated a claim that trained national teachers should have parity of scale salaries with secondary and vocational teachers. This claim was discussed by the National Teachers Conciliation Council; and since it was not possible to reach agreement, it was referred to the National Teachers Arbitration Board. The board heard their case and argued for three days in public and, later, for a further three days in private. The claim was rejected by the Arbitration Board. An award was made by the board, however, which had the object of restoring as far as possible the differential which existed between national teachers and secondary teachers in 1946.
The national teachers' salary claim was submitted again through their conciliation and arbitration scheme in August, 1957, in the light of what their organisation considered a change in circumstances. In view of the financial position at that time, the Government requested the co-operation of all bodies having conciliation and arbitration schemes to exercise restraint and not to press claims other than those for the rectification of small anomalies. The Minister for Education and the Minister for Finance had discussions with representatives of the national teachers in September and December, 1957. At the instance of the representatives of the teachers, the Ministers undertook to consider the question of causing the principles governing the salaries of the various groups of teachers paid out of public funds to be examined, and a conference was set up for that purpose. In consideration for that undertaking, the representatives of the national teachers undertook not to proceed, for the present, with a renewed parity claim.
It was in those circumstances that the Salary Committee was set up by my predecessor in office. The Committee commenced its deliberations in January, 1959. Its proposed terms of reference had been communicated to the three groups of teachers in March, 1958. They had been invited to nominate two representatives, each, to sit on the Committee. At no time were any reservations expressed by the national teachers organisation in relation to the proposed terms of reference, or to the personnel of the Committee, representative of school managers, business interests and the Ministers for Education and Finance, as well as the two representatives from each of the teachers' organisations.
The terms of reference were: to examine and report on principles which might guide the Minister for Education in determining the relationship between the remuneration payable to trained national teachers, recognised secondary teachers and permanent whole-time vocational teachers. It might be emphasised that the Committee was not asked to determine scales of salary for any group of teachers. That point was being dealt with under an independent scheme of conciliation and arbitration. That independent scheme still continues to function.
It was expected, however, that the finding of the Committee would make a significant contribution towards a solution of the general problem of the relationship which might exist between the remuneration of the three groups. The reports of the Committee were presented to me on 29th July, 1960. The report of the majority—that is, all the members of the Committee with the exception of the two representatives of the national teachers—and the reservations in the minority report of the representatives of the national teachers, were carefully considered by the Departments concerned, and by the Government, between that date, 29th July, 1960, and the date on which the reports were released to the Press, 6th March, 1961.
It will be seen from those two dates that, contrary to what unfortunately has been suggested, there was no indecent haste on the part of the Government to publish those reports. I hope that disposes of that suggestion. I should like to repeat that the Committee was asked to report on the principles and not on salary scales. I fail to see how there could be any question of a responsible Government setting up a special committee and ignoring its findings, as some people seem to think the Government should have done. I have no doubt the matter will be thrashed out again at conciliation and arbitration. As a matter of fact, a claim is going through the machinery at the moment. For that reason, I do not think I could, with propriety, pursue the matter any further, except perhaps to say that I would commend to the goodwill of all parties the suggestion that they should co-operate in establishing a common scheme of conciliation and arbitration.
The question of vocational guidance was raised. I presume that means a formal system of vocational guidance. As most parents know, the heads of schools and the teachers have been working a system of vocational guidance for many years, and consultation between teachers and parents has been very useful in that regard. There is, to some extent, formal examination in the case of teachers. We have introduced interviews for the selection of candidates for the teaching profession, but on the question of a formal attempt to place students in a particular vocation, I would point out to Deputies that that is a most delicate matter which requires very special trained personnel.
The City of Dublin Vocational Educational Committee, in fact, have had a man trained by University College. He has now completed his course and has established a scheme among his fellow teachers, comprising the fundamentals of the type of work concerned. While it would be a case of fools rushing madly in to try to guide everyone in their vocation, I would say this scheme will extend as properly trained personnel becomes available. We must always remember that this is a very delicate area of activity for any outsider.
In regard to post-primary education, it is about time that people stopped saying the majority of our children do not go further than the national school. Over a number of years, well over half of the children have been going on to post-primary education in the form of secondary school education, vocational school education or secondary tops in national schools. That brings me to the question of scholarships. Deputies were disappointed because I had not referred to the scholarship scheme. I should like to tell the House now that a Bill is being drafted which will provide for the introduction of a very much enlarged scheme of post-primary scholarships and university scholarships. I hope to introduce that Bill later in the session. Deputy Mulcahy suggested there should be a scheme of scholarships to secondary schools in the Gaeltacht. I understand that such a scheme, administered by the Department of the Gaeltacht, is already in existence.
Apart from the question of scholarships, another point raised in regard to secondary schools was the issue of capitation grants. I should like to say that, on the issue of capitation grants to secondary schools, only in relation to scholarships in such schools and not in relation to grants, could the Department of Education hold itself responsible for the cost of boarding in or near the school. The cost of boarding generally is quite a separate matter. If the Department were to hold itself responsible for the boarding of children in any school, secondary, vocational or primary, it could lead eventually only to selection by the State, or a means test of some kind, because of the cost.
I have no evidence that the annual income of any secondary school is inadequate to meet the school's annual commitments. The allegation is sometimes made that we do not give grants towards the building and maintenance of secondary schools. The State provision in that regard was partly included in arriving at the rate of capitation grants. Where the State makes direct provision for the building of national or vocational schools, it does not pay these capitation grants.
The Department of Education does not specify headings under which capitation grants are paid. If some of these moneys are for building it is not, perhaps, fair for those who receive the grants to pretend that they get nothing for building. If they continue to do so it may well be necessary for the Department to earmark some of these capitation moneys in the future for building and the maintenance of buildings.
Somebody asked how our schools are doing. Since I have been dealing with secondary schools I should, I think, refer here to the response in recent years to what appear to be the needs of modern society. Our schools are doing a bit more science and more modern languages. As I have already announced, we have set up a fund, which will be administered by the Department, to promote the teaching of science in our secondary schools. There is another arrangement in relation to incremental salary scales which is calculated to promote the teaching of modern languages.
The National Library and the National Gallery were mentioned. A fear was expressed by one speaker that the Shaw Bequest would be used, because of outside influence, in some way other than the Governors would desire. I am telling the House now that it is the intention that the money from the Shaw Bequest will be available only for the purposes decided upon by the Governors of the Gallery and not by the Department of Education.
The problem of space in the Library is part of a larger problem comprising accommodation for the National Museum, the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Library itself. It is a problem of such dimensions that it cannot be solved simply. The whole matter is under active consideration at the moment. Preliminary plans for the extension of the National Gallery have been prepared. I do not know whether it is necessary to remind Deputies that under the Copyright Act the National Library must be furnished gratis by publishers with one copy of every book published in Ireland. I think one Deputy said the Library was not getting enough books.
A question relating to the publication of a dictionary of national biography was raised by Deputy Sir Anthony Esmonde. That is a work of enormous dimensions. During the past four years the following sources of information have been indexed: all the books and pamphlets written by or about Irishmen in the National Library collections and in the published catalogues of the British Museum have been traced. The former source yielded 70,000 items, the latter an additional 20,000. Biographical notices of, and articles written by, Irishmen have been indexed in 700 volumes of periodicals. About another 900 volumes need to be examined.
In the absence of parish registers, wills and other such sources for the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the genealogical manuscripts in the Genealogical Office are one of the basic sources of Irish biographical details. The contents of 140 of these manuscripts have been indexed by family name. About 300 more manuscripts remain to be done. About 7,000 manuscripts have been indexed for biographical material. All the material relating to Irishmen in the 84 published volumes of the Historical Manuscripts Commission has been indexed. Parish registers of 14 Catholic dioceses have been microfilmed. Deputies will understand the enormity of the task. A great deal of work has been done, but I do not see any hope of completion in a shorter time than four or five years because it is such an enormous task.
Deputy Jones asked how we stand in our educational system. First of all, the educational system of any country is a reflection of the background from which it comes. It would be a foolish person who would say that any one system is better than another. All we can go by is what people who have seen other systems tell us. Recently I was talking to the Provincial of an Order which has houses all over the world and he is of the opinion that our system is second to none. If we are to judge by the way in which our University graduates are snapped up by overseas businessmen, industrialists and organisations, I think we have a very good indication of the high standards achieved by our system.
We have in our system many things that people in other parts of the world would give a great deal to have. Catholic, Protestant and Jew have their own State-aided schools. At all levels we have a highly qualified corps of teachers. In comparison with most other countries we are very well off from the point of view of the teachers we have. Our system does not usurp the rights of parents by, for example, taking any particular age group and telling one boy he should follow one particular stream and another boy that he should follow some other stream which will have the result of putting him into a lower social level.
Secondary and vocational schools provide a good broad level of education. Our vocational schools are gearing themselves to go even further on the broad basis of continuation education. We have, I think, a great deal to be thankful for in our system. If there are sometimes disadvantages we should weigh the advantages against them. Parents have the main right in education here. The manager represents the parents. No parent has any right over the children of any other parent and the nearest we can go to a representative of all the parents is the manager who belongs to the religion to which the parents belong. He is a clergyman of their particular religious denomination. He represents all the parents.
As I say, no parent or group of parents can claim rights over the children of other parents. Under our system the manager has the right to appoint the teacher. He can appoint whomsoever he wishes provided the teacher is qualified up to the level required by the Department of Education. It is well to understand this in view of the present dispute or controversy going on in Ballina in which the teachers state that it is not the right of the manager to make the appointment which is being questioned but the manner in which the right was exercised. The teachers' appeal is not to me but to the bar of public opinion in this matter. Therefore, apart from other fundamental considerations, there is no place at the present moment for any action on my part. I think that much may help Deputies to understand what the position of the State is in this regard.
In the last few years the country has seen increasing prosperity. It may be interesting for the House to know that the teachers have their share in this prosperity to the extent which I shall list. The following are increases in teachers' salaries sanctioned since 1958: national teachers—1st September, 1958, cost of living, £460,000; 1st January, 1960, cost of living, £415,000; 1st July, 1959, children's allowances, £85,000; 1st April, 1961, untrained teachers, £30,000 and 1st April, 1961, principals' allowances etc., £200,000. Accordingly, the national teachers have gained £1,190,000 since 1958 as their share.
Secondary teachers had a cost of living increase of £115,000 from 1st September, 1958. On 1st February, 1960 they had a cost of living increase of £95,000 and in July, 1959, children's allowances amounted to £20,000. That is a total of £230,000 from the State.
From 1st April, 1958, vocational teachers had a cost of living increase of £35,000; on 1st March, 1960, they had a cost of living increase of £85,000. On 1st June, 1959, they had a status claim of £70,000. On 1st July, 1959 there was an increase in children's allowances of £16,000 and on 1st April, 1961, they had headmasters' allowances of £14,000, making a total of £220,000 since 1958 for the vocational teachers. The total to the profession is £1,650,000 in that period. As I say, they have had their share of increased prosperity. I do not grudge it to them. I wish them good luck.
When talking about how we stand, I thought it might interest Deputies to know some of the improvements which have taken place. This is not putting us in comparison with other countries except in the case of our international vocational training competitions. Students from our vocational schools entered these competitions with students from other countries at Barcelona in 1960 and in Italy in 1959. Last year we had 18 competitors. Two students got first place in carpentry, senior and junior. Two students got second place in plumbing and brickwork. Two got third place in cabinet making. Eight got fourth place; two got fifth place and two got sixth place. The year before we had 14 competitors. Four students got first place: cabinet making, joinery, silversmiths and brickwork. Three got second place: fitting and electrical installation; two got third place: joinery and fitting; three got fourth place and two got fifth place, so that these students can hold their own among very much bigger numbers from the other countries.
In our national schools we can point to improvements. First of all, there is the improved staffing in two teacher schools. There is improved staffing also in three, four, five, and six-teacher schools. There is improved staffing in industrial schools and in capitation schools. The removal of the marriage ban and increased training facilities resulted in putting this country in the almost unique position of not having to recruit untrained teachers. We ceased to recruit untrained teachers last year. We have had improvements in the system of inspection and there is the abolition of the merit mark and other things of that kind which brought about a better relationship between the inspectorate and the teachers.
We have improvements in the methods of selecting teachers by interview apart from competition at the academic level, which I think is a very good advance. The abolition of the preparatory college system, I regard as an improvement. Instead of that, as I already mentioned in my introductory speech, there is the plan to subsidise one month in each of three years for training teachers in the Gaeltacht before they do their oral examination. That will apply to teachers coming out from this on.
The building programme has been vastly accelerated and we have met the claim of the pre-1950 pensioned teachers. The present position of the pre-1934 convent and monastery lay teachers has been rectified and there is also a very big advance in the provision for mentally and physically retarded children. All accommodation has not yet been fully availed of and if claims were made we would not have sufficient to meet all we need.
There is a huge increase in the facilities for secondary education. In 1924-25 there were 25,000 secondary school pupils and now there are 76,000. There is an all-round improvement in the qualifications of our secondary teachers. In fact, we are very well off at the level of qualifications for secondary teachers which we are recruiting. This year we decided to add the money in the probationary period to tempt them to stay at home. We set up a fund for giving special grants for the furnishing of science laboratories and we introduced in the Leaving Certificate the oral test in Irish.
Vocational education has extended to 26,000 pupils. When the Vocational Education Act was passed in 1930, there were only 1,500 pupils. We have a vast increase in the school building provision accordingly. We have very useful developments in our vocational schools. There are the winter farm schools which are a co-operative effort and there is the rural building scheme. There is also development on the technician and technological side. We have provided £400,000 for Bolton Street for a building which is virtually completed. There is a £1 million scheme for Kevin Street. Between them I hope these will provide for the modern demands of industry.
Our vocational system has adapted itself in all parts of the country so as to provide technicians and operatives to meet the needs of the variety of industries which are developing in various parts of the country. Most of the improvements have been due to the fact that we have been able to spend more money on education. If we look forward to improving still further, we must expect to spend still more. From the tenor of the debate, I think all Deputies agree with that.