John Bruton
Question:280 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has any plans to amend Rule 9 (3) of the Rules for National Schools which prohibits political meetings in national schools other than during an election campaign.
Written Answers. - Rules for National Schools.
I have no plans to amend the regulation referred to.
John Bruton
Question:281 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will list the patrons of national schools recognised by her within the terms of rule 14 of the Rules for National Schools.
The following is the information requested by the Deputy:
1 Rule 14 of the Rules for National Schools states:
(1) Trustees of a vested school or recognised school committee constituted in accordance with the regulations set out in Schedule I or other suitable person may be recognised as patron.
(2) The Minister for Education for the time being is patron of the Model Schools.
(3) The patron may manage the school himself or may nominate a suitable person to act as manager.
(4) Subject to the approval of the Minister, the patron may, at any time, resume the direct management of the school, or may nominate another manager.
(5) In the event of a vacancy in the patronship by death, the successor of a clerical patron may be recognised as patron.
(6) The patron of a national school on residing out of Ireland for a continuous period of twelve calendar months is regarded as having ceased to hold office.
2. The Bishop of the Diocese in which a particular school is situated is usually the Patron of a Roman Catholic or Church of Ireland school.
3. In the case of Presbytarian schools, the local Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland acts as Patron.
4. The Chairman of the relevant District of the Methodist Church in Ireland acts as Patron for Medhodist Schools.
5. The Trustees of a Jewish school are recognised as Patron.
6. In some cases where there are two or more religious denominations represented in the composition of a school joint patrons may be recognised.
7. In the case of special schools, the Bishop of the Diocese or a limited company or a voluntary organisation may be recognised as Patron.
8. Patron Bodies (Private Companies without limited liability) are set up to act as Patrons of Multi-Denominational Schools.
9. The Minister for Education is Patron of Model Schools.
10. The Minister for Defence is Patron of the Boys' and Girls' NSs in Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare, and Haulbowline NS, Cobh, Co. Cork.
John Bruton
Question:282 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education the number of occasions within the past ten years on which recognition of a manager of a national school has been withdrawn under the terms of rule 15 (9).
I am not aware of the withdrawal of recognition of a manager of a national school under the terms of rule 15(9) of the Rules for National Schools.
John Bruton
Question:283 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if the provisions of rule 17 (1) of the Rules for National Schools requiring that all claims for teachers' salaries be checked by the school manager remains in force; and, if so, the matters upon which the manager is obliged to check.
The terms of rule 17(1) of the Rules for National Schools still remain in force. All national schools must forward to my Department at the end of each month, a return duly certified by the chairperson of the Board of Management of the school. It is the responsibility of the chairperson to ensure that the return is signed by all the teachers who served in the school during the period concerned, and that all absences of teachers are correctly recorded. The chairperson must be satisfied that all details recorded in the return are correct prior to signing the certificate incorporated therein. He/she must also state whether the Rules for National Schools have been complied with so far as he/she has been able to observe and, if not, to state the particular non-compliance.
John Bruton
Question:284 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education, in respect of rule 20 of the Rules for National Schools which urges managers to provide school museums and to award school prizes, the proportion of national schools which follow in full the provisions of this rule.
I am not in a position to identify schols which follow in full the provisions of rule 20. The Department would not be in a position to obtain details of the extent to which these suggestions are adopted by individual schools, but the Inspectorate report that many of the practices mentioned are widespread:— the larger schools have separate rooms for library use and many smaller schools have libraries too, perhaps on a class-by-class basis; as part of their environmental studies work, many teachers organise a nature table on which small objects of local historical or environmental interests are displayed; the awarding of prizes or other rewards for good behaviour or performance by pupils has been a practice followed by teachers for many years and it continues today.