asked the Minister for Education if he will favourably consider extending to teachers in island schools the extra remuneration provided by way of Gaeltacht grants although the teachers may not originally have been trained.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Island Teachers' Remuneration.
29.
Mr. R. Burke
The scheme of grants and allowances payable to teachers in island schools and in Gaeltacht schools is confined to qualified teachers. The purpose of the special allowance payable in the case of island schools is to attract qualified teachers to these schools.
It is not the intention to extend the scheme to include unqualified teachers.
Will the Minister not agree that there is serious difficulty in getting any teachers for island schools? Where suitable untrained teachers have been working in these schools they should be entitled to extra remuneration to encourage them to remain. The Minister knows quite well of some of the cases I have in mind.
Mr. R. Burke
I agree it is difficult, but I would point out there are other grants available in addition to the grants we are talking about for teachers in Gaeltacht schools. This special allowance is payable to qualified teachers only. If the Deputy is thinking about the person in respect of whom representations were made, the difficulty is that the teacher in question is unqualified.
Without asking the Minister to amend the scheme in relation to qualifications, would he not make some provision in the case of an untrained teacher who has been found highly satisfactory and who has been working for some time? In order to retain such a teacher, would the Minister not extend the full benefits of the scheme available to teachers in island schools?
Mr. R. Burke
I cannot at this stage give any hope of an amendment of the regulations in that regard.
Will the Minister state if it is still the policy of the Department to provide training for the people Deputy Brennan has referred to, those who are untrained but who have proved competent? Is a course available to have them trained?
Mr. R. Burke
That special course has been discontinued. Perhaps the Deputy might ask me a specific question on that matter at a later stage.
In relation to the present case, does the Minister not consider it wrong to discontinue the course?
Mr. R. Burke
The question is not of training teachers. It is a question of paying extra remuneration as an inducement to teach in particular locations.