I move:
That a sum not exceeding £5,899,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1971, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Education (including Institutions of Science and Art), for certain miscellaneous educational and cultural services and for payment of sundry grants-in-aid.
Ins na seacht Vótaí go bhfuil mise freagrach iontu tá soláthar á dhéanamh i leith £69,085,000. Méadú de £5,253,900 is ea é sin ar an soláthar don bhliain airgeadais roimhe seo ins na bun-mheastacháin agus na measta-cháin bhreise. Tá £3,000,000 á chur ar fáil faoi Vóta 8, Oibreacha Poiblí agus Foirgintí, le haghaidh tithe scoile náisiúnta a thógáil, a mhéadú is a chóiriú.
Mar sin tá os cionn a cheithre oiread airgid á chaitheamh ar oideachas anois thar mar a bhí beagán os cionn deich mbliana ó shoin.
Tabharfaidh mé anois don Teach roinnt fíricí agus figiúirí i leith na Vótaí éagsúla.
Séard tá sa Vóta 27 ná soláthar le haghaidh (a) costaisí riaracháin na Roinne, (b) na seirbhísí i leith na nin-stitiúidí eolaíochta agus ealaíne agus (c) seirbhísí ilghnéitheacha oideachais.
Cúig mhilliún, ocht gcéad nócha a naoi míle punt atá á iarraidh, méadú de £1,140,000 atá ansin ar an soláthar don bhliain roimhe seo.
Siad na nithe is mó is bun leis an méadú sin ná:—
(1) An soláthar i leith seirbhísí iompair, atá méadaithe de £606,000 ar an soláthar don bhliain 1969-70.
(2) Deontaisí ardoideachais. Faoi oibriú an Achta a ritheadh i 1968 titfidh £262,000 de chostas breise ar an Stát i mbliana.
(3) Costaisí breise £170,000 i leith
foirne don leathnú ar na seirbhísí oideachais agus i leith incrimintí agus méaduithe tuarastail.
(4) Tá méadú de £23,500 i leith costaisí taistil agus iostais de bhárr ardaithe ins na rátaí.
Ba mhaith liom ag an bpointe seo tagairt ar leith a dhéanamh do na deontais ard-oideachais. Is léiriú ar chomh maith is a d'éirigh leis an scéim gur bronnadh 1,120 deontais sa bhliain 1969 i gcomparáid leis an 275 scoláireacht a bheadh á mbronnadh gach bliain sul má tháinig an scéim deontais i bhfeidhm.
Ba mhaith liom freisin tagairt ar leith faoin Vóta seo a dhéanamh don soláthar i leith foilseachán i nGaeilge dar méid £105,000. Den mhéid seo tá £36,000 curtha in áirithe le haghaidh chostais ullmhaithe agus clódóireachta leabhar gnáthlitríochta i nGaeilge a fhoilseóidh mo Roinnse i gcomhar le hOifig an tSoláthair. Le linn na bliana airgeadais seo caite foilsíodh 14 leabhar den tsort sin, le cois 23 cinn de phíosaí ceoil. Ina theannta sin tá suim £69,000 á cur ar fáil i bhfoirm deontas d'fhoilsitheoirí lasmuigh le cabhrú leo costas foilsithe leabhar i nGaeilge, agus orthu sin téacsleabhair, a ghlanadh. Le linn na bliana airgeadais seo caite íocadh deontais i leith 23 leabhar. I ngeall ar an phráinn ar leith atá ag baint le soláthar sách fairsing de théacsleabhair i nGaeilge a chur ar fáil do na meánscoileanna, táthar ag spreagadh foilsitheoiri, trí dheontais speisialta a thabhairt dóibh, chun aistriúcháin Ghaeilge ar théacsleabhair oiriúnacha a fhoilsiú. Ó tosaíodh ar bheith ag thabhairt na ndeontas seo, i mí Lúnasa, 1968, faomhadh 31 leabhar i n-aon ábhar déag lena n-aistriú go Gaeilge. Tá seacht gcinn díobh seo foilsithe cheana agus táthar ag súil go mbeidh tuilleadh díobh ar fáil go luath.
Le cois foilsiú ábhair léitheoireachta ginearálta agus téacsleabhair i nGaeilge, tá rannóg d'fhoireann mo Roinne ag obair go dúthrachtach ar ullmhú foclóra Gaeilge-Béarla. Obair rí-dhian í seo maidir le scoláireacht agus dian-taighde agus tá súil agam go mbeidh sí críochnaithe faoi cheann dhá bhliain eile nó mar sin.
Ba mhaith liom freisin tagairt don £13,000 sa bhreis atá á soláthar don scéim chomhaltachta iolscoile; £45,000 san iomlán atá ann anois. Sé aidhm na scéime seo ná obair thaighde a spreagadh sna ranna eolaíochta agus teicneolaíochta de na hiolscoileanna agus sna hinstitiúidí taighde. Is do dhaoine go bhfuil céim dochtúra bainte amach acu na comhaltachtaí agus bronntar iad i leith obair thaighde go mbeadh toradh praticiúil uirthi ó thaobh na tíre. Tá ag éirí go hanmhaith leis an scéim agus faoi láthair tá duine is fiche i seilbh liúntaisí. Is é a luach idir £1,200—£1,700 in aghaidh na bliana.
Le linn na diospóireachta ar na meastacháin bhreise luaigh cuid de na Teachtaí go raibh amhras orthu iach gcaithfí iomlán an airgid, £100,000 a bhí á sholáthar i gcomhair eagraíochtaí náisiúnta spóirt agus eagraíochtaí a dheineann freastal ar an aos óg. Tá áthas orm a rá gur caitheadh gach pingin den airgead i measc na n-eagraíochtaí san ar bhealach a measadh, do réir dealraimh, a bheith sásúil i gcoitinne.
Ina leith sin ba mhaith liom a rá go dtuigeann an Rialtas go maith go bhfuil an náisiún faoi chomaoin ag na gluaiseachtaí agus ag na cumainn go léir a eagraíonn cúrsaí spóirt agus caitheamh aimsire don aos óg. Tá sé beartaithe ag an Rialtas gach cabhair a thabhairt dóibh chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis an dea-obair agus réimse níos leithne a thabhairt do na córacha atá ann cheana.
Anois an t-am chun pleanáil romhainn ionas gur féidir díorgrais na hóige a threorú isteach in imeachtaí a bheidh spéisiúil dóibh agus a chuideódh lena bhforás mar shaoránaigh fhreagar-thacha.
Tá sé tábhachtach, freisin, ó thaobh spioraid an náisiúin de, go bhféadfadh ár luthchleasaithe páirt iomlán a thógáil i gcomortaisí idirnáisiúnta. Chuige seo, caithfimíd áiseanna tréanála agus oiliúna níos fearr a chur ar fáil dóibh ná mar bhí acu go dtí seo.
Ó thaobh dáiliú an airgid tugadh cuireadh do eagraíochtaí náisiúnta atá ag plé leis an aos óg agus le spórt i mí Eanáir seo caite teagmháil a dhéanamh leis an Roinn. Cuireadh mioncheistneoir chucu siúd a fhreagair. Fuaireamar léiriú coimsitheach ó na ceistneoirí ar an stáid ina bhfuil na cúrsaí seo i láthair na huaire agus i mí na Márta íocadh deontaisí a shroich £100,000 san iomlán le 58 eagraíochtaí. Iarradh ar na heagraíochtaí tuarascáil shealadach a chur ar fáil don tréimhse go dtí 30 Meán Fómhair, 1970 roimh 15 Deireadh Fómhair, 1970 agus tuarascáil dheiridh, maille le cuntais dheimhnithe ar an gcaiteachas, roimh 15 Eanáir, 1971.
Is eol dom go maith nach bhféadfadh aon airgead an méid ama agus an dícheall a chaitheann daoine go deonach le heagrú áiseanna spóirt don aos óg a chúiteamh agus tá súil agam nach mbainfidh na deontais uainn in aon tslí ó na hiarrachtaí deonacha; gur ag cur leis an iarracht seo a bheidh na deontais uainn. Comhartha dea-mheasa ar an obair seo isea an cúnamh airgid atá a thabhairt againn.
Dáilíodh £20,000 arís i mbliana i gcomhair taighde oideachais. Cuirtear deontais as an airgead seo ar fáil do ranna iolscoile nó do shaineolaithe aonair mar chúnamh do thionscnaimh sainiúla taighde. Déanann coiste Roinne iarratais ar dheontais a mheas, déanann sé athbhreithniú ar an dul chun cinn atá á dhéanamh ag tionsc-naimh thaighde a bhfuil deontais Stáit fachta acu, agus meánn sé slite chun na lorthaí a gheibhtear a phoibliú.
Os rud é go bhfuil Teachtaí ann nach bhfuil dóthain Gaeilge acu, léifidh mé ar aghaidh leis an taistriúcháin Béarla den chuid eile de mo óráid.
The net provision for Primary Education in Vote 28 for 1970-71 is £25,258,000, an increase of £796,000 over the provision for last year.
Before dealing with details of the Vote, I should like to make some general comments on primary education.
On the 30th June, 1969, the number of pupils on rolls was 509,725 as compared with 509,045 on the corresponding date in 1968, showing, therefore, a slight increase. The number of qualified teachers in the service in 1969 was almost 15,000.
Since the introduction of the policy of closing small schools the total number of schools has been reduced by 724. Of the number of schools closed 390 were one-teacher schools and 307 two-teacher schools. One hundred and ninety-three schools were closed during 1969, and the result of this reduced the total number of schools in operation on the 31st December, 1969, to 4,144.
I would like here to pay tribute to the co-operation which I am receiving from managers, teachers and parents generally in the implementation of this policy. It is only the rare cases in which trouble arises that receive publicity: peaceful progress does not usually make headlines. The work of re-grouping our schools into more educationally viable units is going steadily and quietly ahead with the agreement and goodwill of all those concerned.
There are two main objectives in the amalgamation of small national schools. The first is, as I have mentioned, the creation of larger educational units where teachers will have a smaller number of classes under their control and where better educational facilities will be available to the pupils. The second is the better distribution of available teaching power. In order to expedite as far as possible the movement of teachers to where they are most needed, a mobility incentive scheme was introduced last year whereby teachers who are surplus to normal requirements in schools already amalgamated or about to be amalgamated receive a payment of £200 on their transferring to other posts. It is too early yet to assess the results of this scheme but I am hopeful that it will be of assistance in achieving the more even distribution of the teaching force throughout the school population.
Record cards to be kept in respect of all pupils in fifth and sixth standards were introduced in 1968. These cards, which contain information on the pupil's background, interests and aptitudes in addition to the teacher's assessment of attainments, are forwarded to the post-primary school to which the pupil transfers, giving the authorities of that school a much more complete picture of the pupil than was possible heretofore. This scheme has had the enthusiastic co-operation of both managers and national teachers and I wish to congratulate the teachers on the conscientious way in which they have discharged their obligations in this regard. These cards can be very valuable at the post-primary stage and can be of particular benefit in the sphere of pupil guidance, and I would earnestly appeal to the post-primary authorities and teachers to take the fullest advantage of the valuable information which the primary school system is placing at their disposal.
As a natural corollary to the report card scheme, a parents' report was introduced in June, 1969, in respect of all primary pupils from second to sixth standards. This report provides parents with an assessment of their children in the various school subjects and a general indication of the children's progress throughout the school year. The parents' report has been welcomed throughout the country not only for its inherent value but also as a further step in the closer involvement of parents in their children's education.
The working document of the new primary school curriculum is now approaching final form. When the process of evaluation and consultation has been concluded the new curriculum will be published, together with a teachers' handbook, and recommended to the schools on a voluntary basis. I am heartened and encouraged by the fact that the vast bulk of the comments received have been so favourable. This circumstance augurs well for its successful implementation. In the meantime, my Department are tackling the retraining and re-orientation of teachers which must be done to ensure that maximum benefit be extracted from the child-centred concept of education enshrined in the new programme. Special courses for principal teachers are being organised. Last year 600 principal teachers attended: this year we hope to cater for over double that number. Further arrangements have been made for the provision of in-service courses for all teachers at local centres. Demonstration centres are being set up in various schools throughout the country where the different aspects of the new programme will be brought home to teachers in the surrounding areas in an effective and practical way. The process of re-orientation will take some time but the acclaim with which the new curriculum has been greeted by managers and teachers alike leaves me in no doubt that the next few years will see a quiet revolution in the classrooms. I look forward to what I believe will be the most exciting and stimulating period in primary education since the foundation of the State.
The availability of proper equipment and requisites is an essential part of the new programme. This year, I propose to allocate a sum of £50,000 to equip the demonstration centres: I intend in the coming years to ensure that a regular, annual supply of money will be made available to all schools to enable them to go over fully to the new curriculum. In the meantime, I would strongly recommend to both managers and teachers the establishment of local parents' committees on the lines suggested by the Hierarchy. Bodies like these at local level would prove very beneficial in advancing the new curriculum by supplying incidental aid, financial and other, to the schools. State assistance could not hope to cater fully for every enterprise that is possible under the new programme. Further, as I have been stressing recently, it is not enough that parents be interested in their children's education: they should also be involved in it.
I will now turn to some of the more significant increases in Vote 28 over last year's figures. Subhead C— Teachers' Salaries et cetera—and subhead D—Superannuation—account for increases of £551,000 and £255,000 respectively. The latter increase is mainly due to the effect on pensions of salary increases from 1st July, 1968, and increases in pensions themselves from 1st August, 1968. The increase in teachers' salaries et cetera, arises principally from increases in salary allowances awarded following the recommendation of the National Teachers' Conciliation Council. It is also partly due to an increase in the number of teachers and to the creation of additional posts of responsibility in national schools.
We are continuing to train more teachers—585 a year—than are needed for normal replacement. We now also recognise, subject to certain conditions, teachers who received their training in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This not only provides a valuable increment to the teaching force but has the added advantage of enabling some of our emigrants to return home to gainful employment. By these means, we are enabled to progress towards a more favourable teacher-pupil ratio. Since 1958 there has been a progressive improvement in this respect and a further reduction in the average enrolment figures for the appointment and retention of teachers, from the fourth to the seventh assistant inclusive, was introduced as from 1st July, 1969. While these progressive reductions and the increasing supply of teachers give cause for satisfaction, they do not give cause for complacency. Many more teachers are needed and the problem of supply is one that engages our constant attention. To secure the maximum possible output of teachers within the limits of our available resources, extern students are now being accepted in the training colleges. By this arrangement the intake to the colleges in 1969 was about 150 higher in the overall than in previous years, which will produce a consequent higher output in July of 1971. I would hope that this enhanced output will go a significant way towards reducing the number of large classes in urban schools.
This leads me to the question of teacher training, the length of the training course and the type of qualification which should be awarded to a qualified teacher. These are matters which have been engaging our urgent attention and the work of restructuring the training course has already begun in collaboration with the training college authorities and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation. The question of the standing of the course in relation to university studies is under the active investigation of the Higher Education Authority. The resolution of the various problems involved must take some time but I am confident that they will be resolved and that a three-year training course with satisfactory university association will be a reality in the not too distant future.
Under subhead C8, there is an expenditure of £21,650 for a special educational project. This must be read in conjunction with a figure of £10,600 in the Appropriations-in-Aid, being the contribution towards the project from the Bernard Van Leer Foundation in The Netherlands whose generosity I gratefully acknowledge. A sum of £40,000 has already been spent on this project, of which £26,600 has been contributed by the Van Leer Foundation. The object of this research experiment is to create, in the Rutland St. area of Dublin, a new educational environment for children between the ages of three and eight years in which social workers, psychologists, doctors and nurses will combine to help parents and teachers in the task of developing fully the intellectual, physical, emotional and social potential of each child. Concomitantly, a research programme will be carried out to assess the value of the project.
Initially the project involves the establishment of a pre-primary centre beside the existing schools to provide a two year programme for children aged three and four years and the setting up of the organisation necessary for the operation of the scheme. Later there will be gradual integration of the infants' schools and the centre in a single organisation. The centre is being organised within the national school system and the manager of the existing schools is also manager of the centre. He is being assisted by a steering committee representing, besides the manager, the Van Leer Foundation, the Department of Education, the Dublin Health Authority, the INTO, the trade unions and the Department of Social Science, UCD. An inspector of my Department has been appointed project director and the first intake of 90 pupils was enrolled in the centre in June, 1969. A further 90 children will be enrolled this summer. A special teacher-pupil ratio of one to 15 operates and a nurse is attached to the centre to attend to hygiene training. A meals service is also being provided and the medical services required are being laid on by the Dublin Health Authority without cost to the project. The project is essentially an attempt to discover what contribution the school, working in its own environment and in the community from which the pupils are drawn, can make towards negativing the disadvantages from which the children suffer. We hope to learn some valuable lessons from this project concerning the social and educational advancement of underprivileged areas. I am sure that all Deputies will join with me in wishing the scheme every success.
I would like to refer to the building and improvement of national schools although provision therefor is not made in this Vote. I am glad to be able to report that the work of replacing and improving schools continues at a satisfactory rate. In the financial year 1969-70, 40 new schools were built and major improvements and extensions were carried out in 121 others. On 31st March last, 102 new schools were in course of erection and 61 others were undergoing extension or major improvement. Expenditure on building works in the last financial year amounted to £3,761,800 which is an increase of £251,640 over the previous year's figure. In addition, grants totalling over £29,500 were made for painting works.
We still have unsuitable schools, but real progress is being made towards their replacement by modern buildings. In 1969-70 we provided over 10,000 places in new schools and over 6,500 under major improvement or enlargement schemes, that is a total of over 16,500 places in new or improved accommodation. To meet normal replacements we would need only 6,000 places per year; accordingly, we cleared part of the backlog to the extent of 10,500 places.
The Estimate for Secondary Education is for a net total of £19,626,000 which exceeds last year's provision by £2,803,000. Substantial increases are shown under the headings of capitation grants, supplemental grants to schools in lieu of school fees, teachers' salaries, examinations, capital grants for secondary school buildings and free books for needy pupils.
The increases reflect the continuing expansion in pupil numbers in the secondary schools. These numbers increased by a total of 41,000 in the three years following the introduction of the free post-primary education scheme. This includes an increase of about 11,000 in the present school year.
In 1969-70 the number of secondary teachers in receipt of incremental salary was 6,768. This represents an increase of 583 in the number of teachers being paid by my Department compared with the previous year. The total provision for teachers' salaries in the current financial year is £1,373,000 more than last year's figure.
Regarding examinations, the increase of £66,000 over last year's provision is related to the increased number of candidates. The new intermediate certificate course was examined last year for the first time and students from vocational schools as well as from secondary schools took the examination. Between the two examinations, intermediate and leaving certificate, there were over 11,000 candidates more than the previous year, an increase of about 25 per cent.
The provision for grants for furnishing and equipping science laboratories and special classrooms in practical subjects is not being availed of to the extent anticipated, and this, coupled with the fact that the science teaching grant is now covered by the new arrangements as to school salary and capitation grants, enables a reduction of £76,000 to be made in the provision under subhead A.3 as compared with last year.
The reduction of £58,400 as against last year's provision in the sum sought for scholarships and prizes—sub-head D—reflects the phasing-out of the former post-primary scholarships as a result of the introduction of the free post-primary education scheme. With regard to secondary school building grants it will be recalled that in the earlier years of the scheme's operation the school authorities had to have recourse to the banks for the funds required for building projects and that the State undertook to pay an annual grant equal to 70 per cent of the total annual liability for repayment of the bank loan. The provision under subhead I.1 this year for the State's liability in the repayment of such loans is £375,000.
Under present arrangements the full cost of approved secondary school building projects is met from State funds, 70 per cent of the amount being in the form of outright grant and the remaining 30 per cent being on the basis of a loan repayable within 15 years. The capital provision for this in the present year is £2,750,000.
In allocating the capital amount available, priority is given to grant applications in respect of extra accommodation required for the additional numbers seeking admission to the schools. By exercising cost control and by giving due consideration to the degree of urgency attaching to different applications, every endeavour is made to ensure that the funds available are used to the best possible effect. In the current year building grants will be paid to the conductors of some 170 schools for the provision of varying amounts of additional accommodation.
I have already referred to the provision of grants out of Vote 27 to publishers to assist them in the production of text books in Irish. The provision of £13,600 in subhead E of this Vote is intended to meet the cost of preparation and publication of text books in Irish by my Department in association with the Stationery Office. At present nine texts are in course of preparation.
In conjunction with the provision of texts in Irish a permanent committee for the production of an authoritative standard terminology in Irish has been established. The results of the committee's work are being made available to all publishers who are engaged in the production of text books in Irish.
My Department's psychological service is being expanded as rapidly as possible. This is an important service designed to establish a suitable guidance system for the schools.
This year saw a big increase in the number of teachers attending the course in educational guidance and I hope that before long there will be a guidance teacher in every post-primary school. The school authorities can obviously be of great assistance in the planning and conduct of these courses and I have, therefore, established an advisory committee, the personnel of which includes representatives nominated by the different school authorities.
The amount being sought in the Estimates for vocational education is £10,318,000, an increase of £618,000 on the provision made in 1969-70.
The main items responsible for the increase are: (a) the additional cost to vocational education committees of the development of the service, particularly the extension of free full-time day courses and their development to leaving certificate standard; (b) running expenses of the regional technical colleges; because of the progress made with the building of the regional technical colleges the capital provision for them shows a reduction of £470,000.
Free education is now in its third year in the vocational schools. In the current school year courses leading to the leaving certificate examination in 1971 were instituted in many areas. This gave rise to a demand for a big increase in the number of teachers and for additional accommodation and equipment and, of course, the enrolments in the schools continued to rise. That the free education scheme has been so markedly successful is due to no small way to the earnest work of the committees and their staffs. I am grateful to them for the excellent work they have done and are doing.
In September last, regional technical colleges came partly into operation in Athlone, Dundalk, Carlow, Sligo and Waterford. This Estimate contains provision for the running costs of these five colleges and, also, for the recruitment and preparatory training of members of the teaching staffs for the Galway and Letterkenny colleges, which will open in September, 1970.
The capital costs are being met direct from State funds. The building contracts for the first five colleges were signed in 1968, and building schedules were drawn up with the purpose of ensuring that in each case part of the building would be ready for occupation by September, 1969. Our thanks are due to the contractors, the architects and all those others associated with the building of the colleges, for achieving this objective.
I consider that the regional colleges scheme is among the most important of our educational developments. On the one hand, there is a dire need for highly-qualified technicians; on the other, we have too many students following leaving certificate courses which are not suitable as a basis for their later training as higher technicians. The regional colleges as part of their function will cater for students at leaving certificate level in a way which will lead them to the appropriate technician or technological courses.
The amount being sought in Vote 31, Reformatory and Industrial Schools, for the financial year 1970-71 is £382,000, an increase of £88,300 on last year's provision. This increase is explained largely by the fact that a decision was taken last year to double the rates of grants payable in the case of these schools.
At the end of 1969 there were 87 boys and 12 girls in the reformatory schools, as compared with 95 and 23, respectively, a year earlier. There is a continuing reduction in the number of pupils in the industrial schools; 653 boys and 698 girls at the end of 1969, as compared with 858 boys and 809 girls at the end of the preceding year.
In the majority of the industrial schools, 22, the children attend classes in the local national schools together with children from the neighbouring areas.
The report of the committee appointed by the Government to inquire into the reformatory and industrial schools is now to hand and will be presented to the Government in the normal way.
Work on the new preventive centre at Finglas, which will replace Marlborough House, is nearing completion. The new premises will be ready for occupation by September, 1970. This preventive centre will provide accommodation for 46 junior pupils, 10-14 years, and for 25 seniors, 15-17 years, for periods of not less than three and not more than 12 months. Only first and second offenders will be referred to the centre. The aim will be to investigate the cause of each boy's delinquency and to try to correct his anti-social attitude and behaviour through (1), a suitable programme of education and counselling and (2), the employment of social workers in the home environment while the boy is at the centre and as an after care service.
During the course of the year a very thorough investigation of all aspects of the work in St. Conleth's Reformatory, Daingean, was carried out and as a result the staffing of the institution has been reorganised. Under this reorganisation there will be employed in the institution:—
Principal free of formal class duties
1 woodwork teacher
1 metalwork teacher
1 arts and crafts teacher
1 physical education teacher
1 counselling teacher
2 teachers of basic subjects.
The whole curriculum will be directed towards educating and counselling the boys in a way which will enable them to overcome their problems.
The total proposed provision in Vote 32 for 1970-71 for the Universities and Colleges, the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, the proposed Institute of Higher Education in Limerick and Grants-in-Aid to Maynooth College, the College of Surgeons, the Dublin Dental Hospital, the Cork Hospitals Board and the College of Pharmacy is £7,537,000. The corresponding original provision for 1969-70 was £6,875,000. A further sum of £848,400 was provided by way of Supplementary Estimate.
The provision for grants for the colleges of the National University and Trinity College in 1970-71 has been made on the basis that the total income of the colleges should be augmented by an increase of 25 per cent in the tuition fees. There has not been a general over-all increase in these fees since 1963-64 and having regard to the general improvement in salaries and incomes in recent years such an increase in tuition fees must be considered as moderate.
I should add that in the case of students in receipt of grants in accordance with the provisions of the higher education grants scheme, an appropriate adjustment will be made in the grant to compensate for such increase in the fees. The necessary additional provision for this purpose is in subhead C.5 of Vote 27.
In the case of the recurrent grant to the three colleges of the National University and Trinity College, the total increase on the provision for 1969-70 is £266,000. This increase together with the receipts from higher fees is related to the necessary expansion in staff to cater for the growth in student numbers. In 1969-70 the total number of full-time students was approximately 17,800, an increase of 800 over the previous year.
On the capital side, £1,000,000 is being provided for University College, Dublin, in connection with the erection of new buildings for arts and administration, a library, a refectory and a students' union building. The arts building, which will provide accommodation for more than 5,000 students is estimated to cost £1,850,000 and is nearing completion. Portion of the building has already been in use since the commencement of the present academic session. The estimated costs of the library, stages 1 and 1A and refectory stage 1, are £910,000 and £510,000, respectively. The refectory was opened to students at the end of last month and it is expected that the library will be available by October, 1971.
Work on the erection at University College, Cork, of a new building for physics, chemistry, mathematical science and a science library is proceeding satisfactorily. The total estimated cost of the project is over £1,600,000 and the additional accommodation being provided is to be available by the beginning of the academic year 1970-71.
The authorities of University College, Galway, were authorised in November, 1967, to proceed with the preparation of a design and sketch plans for the provision of a new science block for the college at an estimated cost of £1,750,000. The provision in the Estimate for 1970-71 in respect of expenditure to arise in connection with this building is £400,000.
Capital provisions are also being made in respect of additional accommodation at Trinity College, £95,000, and St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, £60,000; for the adaptation of its premises in the case of the Dublin Dental Hospital, £25,000, and towards the balance of the cost of the site for the new Institute of Higher Education in Limerick and the other capital expenses, £40,000.
The grant-in-aid of recurrent expenses for 1970-71 for Maynooth College is £90,000, an increase of £14,000; for the Dublin Dental Hospital £144,000; for the College of Pharmacy £30,000, an increase of £7,000, and for the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies £214,500, an increase of £7,300. In addition, a sum of £10,000 is being provided in respect of the general expenses of the planning board of the Institute of Higher Education in Limerick.
Members will recollect that the Higher Education Authority in a recent report estimated that £24,000,000 would be needed to meet the capital requirements of the universities in the coming six years. This estimate and the accommodation planned in relation to it has been very carefully examined by the special building unit in my Department. This has been done in a very thorough fashion having regard to the most up to date buildings techniques and costs based thereon. I am fully satisfied that accommodation of the magnitude proposed by the Higher Education Authority can be provided at a cost not exceeding £15 million. The intention of the Government to provide funds on this basis has been notified to the authority.
In regard to our assessment of our future requirements in relation to higher education I should like to stress again what I said previously in this House. Any review of the requirements must take full cognisance of the needs of the nation. We cannot go on producing more and more graduates in some form of vacuum. Not only must the numbers be taken into consideration but the type of graduate produced; if we go on spending more and more money on higher education, we must ensure that we secure the maximum benefit for the nation from the expenditure involved.
The amount being provided for the National Gallery in Vote 33, £65,000, shows a decrease of £5,000 in the sum for 1969-70. This is explained by the fact that the sum voted for 1969-70 was in excess of the actual requirements. Deputies no doubt will already have learned of the continuing upward trend in the attendances at the National Gallery in the last few years. The number of visitors reached a new record total of 324,573 in 1969. The number in 1968 was 199,102 and five years ago it stood at 75,330.
The opening of the new wing of the gallery in 1968 contributed materially to this further developing interest on the part of the general public in the paintings on exhibition. A further major factor has been the excellent series of lectures arranged by the Director of the Gallery. In all 270 lectures were delivered in 1969.
I have already promised the House that I would in connection with my Estimates speech make a statement in regard to the raising of the school-leaving age. The position is that the Government have now taken a decision to raise that age to 15 with effect from 1st July, 1972.
It had been intended to bring this measure into operation this year but the whole situation in regard to participation in post-primary education has altered radically since the intended raising of the school leaving age was first announced in the Second Programme for Economic Expansion.
The introduction of the free education, free transport and free books schemes has had a tremendous effect on enrolments in our post-primary schools, not only in terms of greatly increased numbers staying on at school beyond the primary school stage but also in terms of the length of their stay in the post-primary school. For all practical purposes, greatly increased voluntary participation has achieved and even surpassed the results originally hoped for from the raising of the statutory school leaving age.
My Department have estimated that raising the school leaving age to 15 would increase enrolments by only 6,000 over and above the normal progression on present trends. Allowing for the spread of this 6,000 over the country as a whole, no great problem would be involved in regard to the provision of accommodation or teaching services. The problems likely to arise would be rather of a pedagogical and social nature as some of these children would probably be reluctant school goers and would be coming from homes where educational motivation would be lacking. Therefore, we need to study the special requirements of these children and how best to cater for them. My Department have a number of research projects under way in this area and when the results of these are available we shall be in a better position to provide the kind of service which the situation demands in relation to these young people.
Before concluding there is one other matter to which I wish to refer. I hope that Deputies generally will agree with me when I say that the past year, in so far as education is concerned, has been one of further considerable achievement. One dark spot in the picture has, unfortunately, been the various disputes in relation to teachers' salaries. This is a subject on which, through my acceptance of all that is involved in conciliation. I have felt constrained to say very little. The fact that the conciliation council is meeting today places a further constraint on me.
Therefore, I will confine myself to making a few general remarks. The problems involved are such as cannot be solved by individual groups of teachers proceeding as if unilateral action is going to produce a solution. On numerous occasions I have made it clear to all three groups of teachers that I cannot be placed in the position of resolving one strike or threatened strike at the expense of creating another.
While I accept that each of the three teaching bodies have convinced themselves of the justice of their position, the basic problem is to reconcile the conflicting points of view. This can be done only if there is a coming together and a departure from rigidly held positions.
In appealing once more to all groups to sit round the conference table I am suggesting the only course that will produce results. Let the approach be that there is no human problem which cannot be solved provided the will to solve it exists.
