The new curriculum gives a new dimension to the work of the teachers and Deputy Faulkner must be given credit for introducing it. Because of the curriculum pupils will have an opportunity of studying subjects that previously were not on the programme. I should like to refer to the teaching of art; anyone who visits a primary school will see the work of the children and will be aware of the pleasure they get in doing this work. All this will have the effect of making us a better people in the future.
Another development of the new curriculum is the teaching of music, with special emphasis on native music. This is already beginning to show in the volume of Irish music which we hear on radio and television, although probably we do not hear enough of it. We can trace this to the fact that greater scope is given to teachers because of the new curriculum and this has helped to improve the atmosphere between the teachers and the pupils. The students have an opportunity to express themselves freely and no longer are they entirely subject to the teacher in all things.
I should like to refer to an innovation introduced by Deputy Faulkner, namely, the general purposes room in schools. I regret it is not possible to have this room except where there is a three-teacher school. The Minister in his speech stated that no further one- or two-teacher schools will be built, either in replacement of existing schools or as new schools, the State grants will not be available for extensive reconstruction or improvement of such small schools. As most of the rural schools are two-teacher schools, this means the general purposes room available in larger schools cannot be provided for them. One could say there is discrimination against the rural community in this matter. There are many two-teacher schools that will not be amalgamated in our time—at least I cannot see it happening. It is my opinion that it would be a shame if they were amalgamated. Many of our best educated people were taught in this kind of school.
The Minister's decision not to replace or build any two-teacher schools is a harsh one. While amalgamation is desirable and while it is much easier to work in a larger school, many areas would die completely if they lost their schools. The school is the hub of the village or parish and the Minister should not make the flat statement that all two-teacher schools should be closed or that necessary improvements or facilities will not be carried out to them. Many people throughout the country are very annoyed about the Minister's decision in this matter.
With regard to subjects such as physical training, the rural schools are neglected. In the larger schools it is possible for teachers to do special training and subsequently to devote their time as PT instructors in their own schools or in a number of schools. Deputy Ryan mentioned the importance of games. We all agree with that, especially today when people have so much free time. I would ask the Minister to consider the position in the rural parishes. If a PT instructor were employed to serve one or two parishes it would make up in some way for the manner in which the rural areas are neglected in this respect.
Earlier this year I asked the Minister, in a parliamentary question, about the possibility of providing swimming pools. This may seem a rather ambitious programme to even contemplate—indeed the Minister told me that—but I maintain that, if the matter is tackled in a rational way and if we could have some type of programme prepared in conjunction with the Department of Local Government and possibly Bord Fáilte in some instances, moneys could be provided so that swimming pools might be made available. I live beside the sea and we are ashamed during the summer to see that our own children do not even know how to go into the water. We see youngsters coming from England, families of emigrants. They come from Manchester, from Birmingham, from London. They teach our children to swim. They have the PT facilities and they are taught to swim in school in England. We here have no training whatever for our youngsters. Perhaps I am going too far in mentioning swimming pools because there are areas where they would not be necessary. However, children should be taught the basics of swimming. I think it is very important.
The same applies to athletics and coaching of various kinds. People today have a great deal more free time on their hands. We find that the youngsters of 15 and 16 years of age who, a number of years ago, would find their way to the football or hurling field are inclined to be lazy and have not the same interest in sport. If we had a programme such as I mentioned, with a PT instructor in the different parishes where all forms of athletics would be introduced, we would be doing a very good job.
On the question of school building there seems to be no tie-up whatever between the Office of Public Works, the local manager and the school inspector. From the time something is initiated until we see the final result it can take years. I know a school where small repairs were supposed to be carried out, where the school yard was supposed to be improved.
The Office of Public Works engineer appears and goes off again. I do not know what is wrong but it is annoying and frustrating for everybody to find that a simple thing, which would cost only a few hundred pounds, can take so long to get finished.
I would ask the Minister to look at the position in Belmullet where there is a school in a terrible state of repair, where there is overcrowding, where there is a yard in which the children cannot even walk, with pools of water and stones sticking out. If we brought a television crew down to examine such a situation and if English television showed the conditions in which children and teachers have to labour it would show us up in a very bad light. I understand that a scheme of work is prepared for this school. I would ask the Minister to make an effort to have the work carried out early in the new year. While the work is going on the children will have to be removed to a hall or somewhere else in the area. If work is commenced in early January —I understand the job is likely to take about eight or nine months—it will mean that there will be the Easter and Summer holidays coming along and the children will be out of schools for the shortest possible time.
A matter which will be of great concern for future Ministers and for the present Minister is school transport. Today more and more cars are being used. The Department rule now is that a child under ten years of age living two miles from a school may avail of transport. A child over a certain age has to be three miles from a school. A new look will have to be taken at this because, with the car, people are not walking the distances they used to walk. Perhaps it is not good for themselves or not good for children either, but anybody teaching at present will agree that the children who are being transported to school— this is an argument for amalgamation, if you like—are the best attenders. I am sure the Minister will have greater headaches with this as the years go by.
With regard to school transport for post-primary children, there is a system of catchment areas for different schools. I suppose that at the time the scheme was introduced it was only right that the Department should have some yardstick in order to ensure that the transport services would be used to the best advantage for everybody, but very often the Department stick too rigidly to rules and regulations. If a family live at the edge of a catchment area they should have the right to decide whether the children should attend school A or school B. Their rights are being interfered with when the Department say: "You must go to this school if you want to avail of free transport."
There is a certain rueful amusement in the situations that arise. I saw a situation in which a bus carried children to a certain school and every evening the driver dropped the children at the end of the particular catchment area and drove on and the children had to walk or cycle another two miles to reach their own homes despite the fact that the school bus continued on past their own homes. It is very difficult to explain this situation satisfactorily. Reams of paper have gone into the Department on the matter but the situation continues. In matters of this kind there should be flexibility. Cases should be examined on their merits and reasonable concessions given.
Who is responsible for the children who board the school bus? Who is supposed to discipline them? Who is supposed to see that they behave themselves? This is something that will have to be looked into and action will have to be taken to ensure that these children conduct themselves properly on these buses. Could not a senior pupil or two be given authority to make the pupils conduct themselves on the bus? From what I hear the problem is becoming a rather serious one and some solution will have to be found.
I hate to be moaning all the time but the situation in Mayo so far as vocational education is concerned is a desperate one. The vocational school in my parish is in a shocking state. The teachers are talking about taking strike action and they are being encouraged by the parents. There are approximately 160 pupils on the rolls. There are two toilets for these 160 pupils and their teachers. There is no excuse for not having proper facilities. A regional water scheme passes right by the school. When representations are made we are told that a new school or a community school will be built. A vocational school was to have been built on a particular site but that has now been changed and the Department is talking in terms of a community school. A new school will have to be built for the vocational pupils and their teachers. There is some trouble about getting the present owner of the secondary school in Achill Sound to agree to handing over his school and, because of that, I think the new vocational school should be built immediately at Achill Sound. A site has been bought and everything is ready. It would not be a waste of money because the new vocational school could serve as a community school. The site is practically on the grounds of the secondary school and I cannot see any problem arising.
Unrest in matters like education is not a good thing. It is not good for the pupils and it is not good for the morale of the area to have people forced into taking a certain kind of action. I would ask the Minister to have a serious look at the situation and to take some positive steps to improve the position.
We always have a problem in Mayo in getting sanction for teachers. Each year the committee prepares a list for the various schools in the area but the Department never sanctions the number required. This year we were looking for a number of metalwork teachers. There were three young men from the county who had trained as metalwork teachers but we were told by the Department that they could not give us metalwork teachers in Mayo. The three young men got appointments elsewhere but they would have been very happy to have had the opportunity of working in their own country. It is the same story every year. There is talk of grandiose schemes and millions for this, that and the other. Then one gets down to basics and examines the position in certain areas and one finds the conditions under which people have to work and live and the way they are neglected. It is far more important to get involved in basics rather than talk of grandiose schemes and millions of pounds.
We do not have the facilities we should have for our boys and girls in the vocational schools and they are not able to do the extra subjects; that means they cannot avail of the AnCO training scheme. Indeed the AnCO training scheme hardly operates at all as far as children in the West of Ireland are concerned. Children in the larger towns have the first opportunity. If a teacher goes to the AnCO training centre and tries to have a boy taken in for training the answer he gets is that if somebody sponsors the boy he will for training the answer he gets is that if somebody sponsors the boy he will be taken in. In other words, if he is already serving an apprenticeship with a contractor or with somebody, say, in the radio business or in any of the other activities for which AnCO has training schemes, he will be admitted. I have had experience of this on several occasions. Where can a boy in the West of Ireland get an apprenticeship in anything, even carpentry or woodwork? I understand that the trade unions fix a ratio for apprenticeship. If there are four or five carpenters in a workshop, only one apprentice is allowed. I may not be entirely correct in that, but I think it is four to one. Circulars may be sent around to us as Deputies. Things are presented to us in a lovely fashion but when one tries to have the various schemes which one hears about implemented for the benefit of one's own area, it is just not on.
Another matter which is of great concern both to vocational committees and the CEO in counties is the manner in which the Department of Education hold back payments of money due to the committee. I know a case in which a CEO in a county was told by the bank manager that if certain sums were not forthcoming from the Department he would not honour the teachers' cheques. There may be a shortage of staff in the Department or there may be other reasons for that, but this kind of thing should not happen.
There are many aspects of life, especially for youngsters, which we have to look at closely. One problem which is causing serious concern is that of drink among teenagers. Many schemes were initiated by the Department of Education—for instance, the savings scheme. Things like this are a great help to children. It is time we had some kind of intensive programme in schools, under which people would come in and talk to children about drink and its dangers, and try to do something positive about this scourge. I do not know where youngsters get the money for drink, but I would ask the Minister to initiate a series of lectures and films which would be available to primary, vocational, and secondary schools in order to impress upon youngsters how serious this matter can be for them.
I do not intend to deal with the matter of drugs, because there are other people who are more competent than I to do so. However, there are other simple matters. Take the question of litter. If you go around any town near shops or schools it is terrible to see the mess children leave. Again the Department of Education, by having films made available to be shown in schools, should do something to solve this problem. The question of pollution is tied up with this. It should not be too hard to have some programme introduced which would help to put an end to this.
Tá imní orm go bhfuil faillí á dhéanamh maidir le ceist na Gaeilge. Tá daoine ann a deireann nach raibh aon mhaith san éigeantacht maidir leis an Ghaeilge. Ní aontaím leo chor ar bith. Cé nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge ró láidir agus ba cheart dí a bheith, san am chéadhna tá i bfhad níos mó eolas ar Ghaeilge ná mar a táimíd sásta a rá, ach an t-aon áit amháin go bhfuil laige sa Ghaeilge sílím gurb í i labhairt na Gaeilge. Níl fonn ar dhaoine an Ghaeilge a labhairt, agus óthárla nach bhfuil aon éigeantacht ag baint le Gaeilge anois le haghaidh scrúdaidhte tá faillí á dhéanamh ann. Sé an port atá acu anois: "Bhuel, ní gá Gaeilge bheith againn le h-aghaidh na h-ardteistiméireachta nó le h-aghaidh scrúdaithe" agus tá an port céanna ag na tuistí. Ní raibh an ceart ag an Aire i dtaobh na h-éigeantachta. Cuireann sé iontas orm féin gur ghlac na h-údaráis uilig atá ag plé le ceist na Gaeilge leis an rud atá déanta ag an Aire ach ar ball beidh a fhios againn cé aige a bhí an ceart.
Is trua go bhfuil faillí á déanamh sa Ghaeilge. Má chaillimid an teanga táimid ag cailliúint i bhfad níos mó ná mar a thuigeann cuid mhór daoine. Táan teanga agus an creideamj ceangan teanga agus an creideamh ceangailte le chéile agus tá cultúr ár ndaoine ceangailte léi. Ní ceart do dhaoine bheith ag scigmhagadh i dtaobh na Gaeilge nó ag caitheamh masladh leis an dteanga. Ní rud politiciúil é. Tá sé i bhfad níos mó, i bhfad níos airde ná sin.
Tá go leor cainte seinnte faoi scoil Dhún Chaoin. Más ceist scoile a bhí ann ní raibh ceart ar bith ag an Aire an scoil a oscailt. Más ceist theanga a bhí ann glacaimis leis ar chuma ar bith go raibh an ceart aige ach níl a fhios agam cé acu ceist theanga nó ceist scoile ceist Dhún Chaoin.
Tá súil agam nach ndéanfaidh an tAire faillí i gceist na teanga agus an áit is mó a bhfuil imní orm i dtaobh ceist na teanga baineann sé leis na daoine a théann isteach sna coláistí traenála agus na coláistí ullmhúcháin i láthair na h-uaire. Bímis cinnte de rud amháin. Bhí Gaeilge ag gach duine a chuaigh isteach sna coláistí traenála nó a chaith 4 bliana sa choláiste ullmhúcháin. B'éigin dóibh Gaeilge bheith acu i ndeireadh an tréimhse ach tá an-fhaitíos orm anois go bhfuil go leor daoine atá dul isteach ins na coláistí ullmhucháin agus atá a teacht amach ina múinteoirí nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge chomh láidir nó chomh líofa acu agus ba chóir.
Ba cheart don Aire a bheith cinnte go mbeadh caighdeán sáthach ard ag gach duine a thiocfadh amach as na coláistí traenála, caighdeán i leith na teanga. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil scéim ann le daoine a chur go dtí na Gaeltachtaí chun tréimhse a chaitheamh ansin le cuidiú leo feabhas a chur ar labhairt na Gaeilge. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil na scéimeanna sin ann agus tá siad ar fheabhas. Ach an leor an méid sin? Ba chóir, sílim, ins na coláistí traenála cúrsa fé leith a chur ar siúl do dhaoine atá lag i gcaoi go mbeimid cinnte go mbeidh na daoine a bheidh ag múineadh Gaeilge ins na scoileanna go mbeidh sí ar a dtoil acu. Mura mbí i gceann leath scór nó scór bliain ní bheidh aon Ghaeilge fágtha.
There are just one or two points to which I would like to refer with regard to education at the higher level. We have a situation where our taxpayers' money is spent to educate people for the professions. Every year we have a number of doctors, engineers and professional people of all kinds who get university education at the expense of the taxpayer. When they have received their education they emigrate and are of no benefit to the state. This is not their own fault. Often there are not opportunities for them.
Our natural resources have not been developed to the full. People could have training and be brought back to use that training in Ireland in the development of our natural resources. Let us consider fishing. I believe we are years behind in the way we approach some things. I do not want you, Sir, to think that I am digressing from the subject we are discussing at the moment. What I am about to say is tied up with education. I believe that we should have scholarships for young people to send them to Denmark, Norway and other European countries where they would learn a good deal about the basic skills in connection with fish processing and other matters relating to the industry. If a fishing co-operative want to employ a man at the moment they can get somebody who can do the accounts but he may have no practical experience whatever and may know nothing about how to handle fish or how to have it processed. He knows nothing about cold storage or other matters concerned with fishing. If we had scholarships for young people they could go to the Continent and get the necessary training. They could come back and use their skills to develop natural resources. This could help to build up our economy.
The Department of Education, in conjunction with Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Fisheries Branch, might take a look at these matters. They could help the economy of the country. Employment could be given in many areas along the coast where at present it is hard to start an industry. Many fishing co-operatives at the present time could be processing their own fish rather than have the position which obtains in the West of Ireland where it is packed in boxes, despatched and auctioned in Dublin. Proper training for young people living along the coast should be made available by the Department of Education. This would do the industry a lot of good.
Sílim gur beag eile atá le rá agam. Traoslaíom leis an Aire arís. Tá obair an-thábhachtach le déanamh aige agus ní mór dó gach cuidiú d'fháil. Sílim go mbeidh sinne anseo sásta cabhrú leis i ngach slí.
