Vol. 311 No. 10
asked the Minister for Education the employment position of the "special graduate" primary teachers in view of the undertakings given to them at the commencement of their course; the number of such graduates who are employed to date; the numbers who graduated; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
20.
asked the Minister for Education the number of the special trainee graduate teachers who have satisfactorily completed their course and remain unemployed; and the steps he proposes to take to ensure that they acquire suitable jobs.
21.
asked the Minister for Education the total number of unemployed graduates who were given the special training courses appropriate to subsequent employment in the teaching profession; the number of these who obtained jobs as teachers; and the number still unemployed.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 19, 20 and 21 together. Two hundred and eighteen special trainee teachers have satisfactorily completed their course of training; the appointment of 95 of them has already been sanctioned. Due to the time-lag in submitting appointments it is not possible to have up-to-date accurate figures on new appointments. Due to the improvements in pupil/teacher ratios which I announced in April 1978, to take effect on 1 January 1979, immediately after they qualified and the creation of a substantial additional number of posts as remedial teachers, I am satisfied that sufficient posts are available this school year to absorb all the qualified teachers available.
Does the Minister not consider it strange, if he considers there will be enough posts for all these teachers, that three months from the beginning of the year less than half of them have been put in positions?
Representatives of the graduates came and met officials of my Department who handed to them a list of 180 vacancies in schools throughout the country. What perturbs me a great deal is the evidence that a number of vacancies were advertised and none of these people applied to fill these vacancies. I hope that these graduates will sharpen themselves up in their applications for the jobs advertised.
Is it right to assume that something of the order of six times as many graduates were initially expecting to be employed under the scheme as have been employed to date? Has the Minister any proposals to speed up the intake of teachers who are available but who may not have applied for vacancies perhaps for geographical or other reasons? Will the Minister speed up the figure from the present 95, which the Minister will agree is somewhat disappointing in view of the initial promise made in this case?
There is no disappointment as far as the posts available are concerned. If there are 180 vacancies and the people do not think it worth their while to apply for some of those vacancies, there is something radically wrong. Surely the Deputy does not want me to supply them with taxis to the schools so that they can apply for the positions?
Will the Minister consider keeping an open file in the Department containing a list of all current sanctioned vacancies in schools so that teachers might consult it in order to inform themselves about where the vacancies are?
In this case a list was supplied to the representatives of the teachers concerned.
Will the Minister consider keeping a file in the Department where sanctioned vacancies can be consulted by teachers looking for jobs?
The list is available to everybody and anybody.
I have allowed enough time for this Question.
A final brief supplementary.
Very well.
Everyone is enthusiastic about getting as many people as possible into work. Does the Minister seriously suggest that because he throws a job to a teacher as one would throw a bone to a dog—for example, the offer of a job in Donegal or in Kerry to a teacher who happens to have been born and reared and is living in Dublin—he should automatically genuflect in gratitude and take himself off to those parts? Does the Minister seriously suggest that because a vacancy is advertised anywhere in the country it is therefore automatically suitable and appropriate for a man who is established in Dublin or anywhere else?
The kind of thinking that goes on behind that supplementary question is the kind of thinking which can be harmful to education. I practised what I am preaching and I see nothing at all wrong with applying for a vacancy in Donegal and accepting it and working there for the good of education.
The Minister would not want to compel people to do it?
We have had the last question.
We have had the last answer anyway, obviously.
