asked the Minister for Education if he will make a comprehensive statement on the role and future development of teachers' centres throughout the country; with particular reference to the financing of the activities of these centres on a medium and long-term basis; and if he will establish a representative working party to inquire into the most beneficial development for these centres.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Teachers' Centres.
33.
The major functions of a teachers' centre are: (a) To provide a meeting place to bring teachers together for the purpose of discussing problems connected with their school work. (b) To act as a resource centre which would enable teachers to prepare and construct equipment and materials for use in their own schools and, if necessary, for distribution among schools in the locality. (c) To arrange courses on the subject of curriculum development. (d) To facilitate the display of teachers' and pupils' work and to enable publishers to hold exhibitions of school textbooks, etc.
The question of the establishment of additional centres and the allocation which can be made to existing centres will be reviewed annually in the light of the funds made available for teachers' centres.
I am not satisfied that it is necessary at this stage to establish a working party to inquire into the future development of the centres.
Would the Minister not agree these centres could be very beneficial in relation to such matters as curriculum development and would he not consider giving more money to enable them to develop this aspect of their work in particular and also, from the point of view of the need for service training, would he not agree these centres could play a very vital role in developing our educational system?
I agree with the Deputy totally and I did say in my reply that one of the functions of these centres is to arrange courses on the subject of curriculum development. There are 20 of them in operation at the moment. The first was set up in 1972. We have some full-time directors. I agree totally with the Deputy the centres are very important. I had the opportunity of addressing one of the teacher centres. I think they perform a very useful work.