asked the Minister for Education the total number of classes in the City of Dublin in which there are (a) thirty pupils or under, (b) forty pupils or under, (c) fifty pupils or under, (d) sixty pupils or under (e) seventy pupils or under and (f) seventy pupils or more in each of the years 1950, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin School Classes.
58.
The statistics available in my Department which relate to standards and not to individual classes are not in such form as to enable me to give the information requested by the Deputy.
Is there any form in which the Minister for Education could let us know how many classrooms there are at present in the city of Dublin with more than 50 pupils, how many classrooms with more than 60 pupils, how many with more than 70 pupils? I feel sure the Minister must himself know, for I cannot doubt he has interested himself in this scandalous situation.
The normal information comes in standards, and there may be several classes in the one standard. The problem of dealing with these very large classes in the city is in hands. The inspectors of the Department of Education have been surveying the schools and it is hoped that from this survey I shall get enough information to enable me to solve the problem in a reasonable time. Over the past five years we have been improving the teacher-pupil ratio each year through the addition of new teachers and I am now informed that through reorganising the classrooms, controlling the enrolment and by additional temporary buildings this temporary problem in the city will be solved in a reasonable time. The average figure for the country is 29.9 pupils per teacher.
While I applaud the Minister's admirable essay, the information sought is, at present how many classrooms are there in the city of Dublin with more than 50 pupils, how many classrooms there are with more than 60 pupils, how many with more than 70 pupils and how many with more than 80 pupils. In view of the fact that the Minister's inspectors have been making a survey, could he tell me is there any form in which this question could be put to him so that he could conveniently furnish me with the information?
What I am hoping is that as the information comes in I will deal with it in a piecemeal fashion rather than to wait. I have reports coming in on schools with very large classes and can deal with these schools by way of reorganising of classes, the employment of additional teachers and the provision of additional buildings. It is not my intention to wait for the end of the survey to have work done.
I am sure the Minister, on reflection, will agree this is not a desirable situation. Shall we never know?
The reason the Deputy will not know is that the problem will have been dealt with.
I think it is because the Minister does not know himself and does not want me to know.
Of course, if the House wants me to wait—
I do not want to wait for anything.
How does the Minister get the information in regard to the country schools? Could he not get an average for the city as well?
There may be two or three classes in the one standard.
I am calling Question No. 59. These supplementaries have been repeated again and again.
Oh, no. I did not get the information I am asking for.
Why did the Deputy not ask for it in 1954 and 1955?
The Houses were not falling down and the classes had not as many as 80 pupils.
The families had all gone to England.
We cannot get the information now so we cannot make any official comparison.