asked the Minister for Education if all primary schools which have formed management committees are entitled to the £6 per pupil grant from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pupil Grant Entitlement.
25.
All primary schools which have formed boards of management are entitled to the £6 per pupil grant from my Department, subject to payment of the local contribution, with the following exceptions: (a) Special schools, for which the grant from my Department is £12 per pupil; (b) 16 model schools and four schools vested in the Minister for Defence—the cost of heating, cleaning and maintenance of schools is met entirely by the State; (c) 108 national schools which are vested in the Minister for Education and the maintenance of which is discharged by the Office of Public Works. A reduced capitation grant of £2 is payable in these cases.
Mr. Kitt
In a situation where the amalgamation of two schools is postponed indefinitely and these schools have formed management committees, can the Minister tell me if these management committees are entitled to £6 per pupil?
Yes, in respect of the pupils actually in the schools.
Mr. Kitt
Can the Minister explain to me why in the case of two schools in my constituency State grants have been withdrawn?
Would the Deputy ask a specific question about the specific case? If the schools are recognised by my Department they get the grants.
Would the Minister indicate what will happen in respect of a primary school where the £6 is not collected?
By whom?
By the management committee. I am talking about where the £150 is not collected by the management committee.
The management committee is not enjoined to collect the £150. The £150 is put in, in fact, by the local communities in general.
If, as may happen in certain areas, it may not be possible for the local committee to collect the necessary £150, what happens?
The question is hypothetical, but it is a condition of the grant system that the £150 or whatever the appropriate figure is will have been put into the fund by the local community.
I am concerned about students in a school where the local committee is not able to collect the £150. What happens?
The Deputy himself made a suggestion when this scheme was announced first that the £150 would, in fact, be levied on the parents of the children involved. Perhaps he would like to take this opportunity of correcting it again.
The Deputy indicated to the Minister it was unconstitutional to charge any fee in respect of primary education and that is what the Minister should answer.
Is the £6 per pupil not detrimental to schools in the country? Where there was a four teacher school which is now a three teacher school, the school has to be kept there and maintained and the grant is paid per pupil and so the grant is lower for a lesser number of pupils and that makes it very hard to keep the school up.
The Deputy is right. Representations have been made in respect of small rural schools and this matter is being examined by the Department at the moment.
Would the Minister tell us whether he envisages that the £150 per pupil should be collected by the new management committee in whatever fashion they wish? I agree it should not be levied on the pupils. Should it be lodged by the previous manager?
It should be lodged by the community who were instrumental in building the school in the first place.
Did the Minister say that what are called Board of Works schools will be in a position to receive this grant?
I have already answered that question rather fully. If the House wants me to repeat the answer I will do so.
We must pass on to the next question, No. 26. I have allowed a great deal of latitude.
This is very important. Is the Minister aware that serious difficulties have arisen with regard especially to remedial teachers and guidance teachers because of the pupil/ teacher ratio?
Difficulties have been alleged ever since this was introduced in 1972. They have not just arisen in the present school year.
Is the Minister stating that the position has not changed with regard to guidance teachers and remedial teachers since then?
The question of guidance teachers and remedial teachers was not envisaged in the original proposals.
Would the Minister stop sidestepping and answer the question? Has there been a change in regard to remedial and guidance teachers?
There has been in the sense that they are now allowed where they were not allowed before.
They are allowed within the quota instead of there being an extra quota and the Minister knows that damn well.