asked the Minister for Education if she is aware that because of her adverse policies on pupil-teacher ratio at second level education, subject choice has greatly diminished, particularly for girls, in the honours maths, science and technical subjects.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Pupil-Teacher Ratio.
36.
I do not accept the implications in the question that the implementation of the new staffing regulations has resulted in undue difficulty in the formulation of post-primary school time tables for the purpose of including suitable provision for the subjects on the curriculum.
Naturaly the Minister does not accept these implications, that is her job, but the fact is she introduced the adverse pupil-teacher ratio and the fall out from that has been that subject choice was curtailed. Is the Minister aware that in many girls' schools such subjects, which she constantly advocates as being suitable for young women — honours maths, physics, technical drawing and so on — cannot be taken because the hard pressed school principals have to make allowances for what are known as core subjects?
I should point out that the pupil-teacher ratio is the same in girls' schools as in boys' schools.
My question dealt with girls' schools.
Therefore the question of curiculum choice is not related to pupil-teacher ratios. Clearly the school authorities have to relate the school curriculum to the availability of teaching resources and the Department are at pains to review cases where we have transitional difficulties which occur when adjusting to new ratios. The Opposition are constantly pointing out that it was this Government's decision to worsen the pupil-teacher ratio. It is suitable at this time to point out that those decisions were taken by the previous administration. Once again I will repeat what the Fianna Fáil Minister for Education said on 18 November 1982. He spoke about measures taken to restrict parent expenditure and the reduction of the pupil-teacher ratio in the post-primary schools in the order of one to two units to be achieved over a period of time as vacancies occurred. That Fianna Fáil announcement was brought into operation when this Government took office.
The Minister is a prisoner of history.
We have a continuing commitment, as former Ministers had, to improve whenever possible pupil-teacher ratios as financial circumstances permit. We have brought in a policy to discriminate positively in favour of the educationally disadvantaged and we have found practical expressions by the addition of remedial and guidance posts to a number of schools catering for disadvantaged pupils. That is the kind of exception we must make.
I am glad to say there is still an increase in the number of girls taking maths particularly. In 1983 the number of girls taking honours maths in the leaving certificate was 1,420 and in 1985 the figure of 2,003. I do not have the figures for the other technical subjects as yet, but I imagine they too would have increased.
The Minister has given me a load of "codswallop". She spoke about disadvantaged children for whom I have the greatest sympathy but my question did not refer to disadvantaged children, it referred to second level education for girls. The Minister also asked why my question referred to girls' schools rather than boys. I did so because of her much spoken of feminism, which now seems very phoney, encouraging girls to take technical subjects. She makes a grand speech and then departs, but the schools cannot provide teachers for these classes because they did not get the money from the Department. Now, three years on, the Minister is still hiding behind Fianna Fáil trousers when she quotes the Fianna Fáil pupil-teacher ratio in defence——
With a rising population.
——of her very discriminatory pupil-teacher ratio which is adversely affecting girls.
The Deputy must count as a feminist because he——
We are dealing with priority questions and Deputy Kelly is not allowed to speak.
I would not be allowed to go a yard along the road Deputy O'Rourke is going.
Order, please.
Deputy Kelly, do not interrupt the lady.
Deputy O'Rourke has been allowed these priority questions.
I am Opposition spokesman for Education——
I would not be allowed get a yard along that road——
You are not a woman, dear.
(Interruptions.)
That is the role I have. Is the Minister aware that in the course of a reply to Deputy Faulkner yesterday she stated that of the 53,700 students taking senior cycle only 235 took technical drawing and 46 took building construction? Is the Minister aware that in spite of all the waffle and high flung speeches her policy has a direct bearing on the fact that girls do not have an opportunity to take up technical subjects?
The Deputy is using words that are slightly abusive. They are not out of order but they are a short step down that road.
And they are not couched in the interrogative either.
Is the Deputy an authority on priority questions?
(Interruptions.)
I must ask Deputy Kelly to restrain himself and keep quiet.