Vol. 395 No. 9
287 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if, in all cases, the provisions of rule 31 of the Rules for National Schools requiring that 15 square feet of floor space be provided for each pupil being complied with; and, if so, if she will give details thereof.
I am not in a position to confirm that every pupil attending national school has 15 square feet of floor space available to him/her at any given time.
However, the Deputy will be aware of the substantial progress being made on the primary schools building programme in providing permanent classrooms in accordance with the new curriculum, to replace sub-standard accommodation. It is intended to press forward with this programme as expeditiously as possible within the overall capital available.
288 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education the reason for the provision in rule 40 (5) of the Rules for National Schools prohibiting schools in close proximity to graveyards.
Rule 40 (5) of the Rules for National Schools states "a site in close proximity to a graveyard cannot as a rule be approved". The reason for this is the possible adverse psychological effects on children attending national schools.
289 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education the number of occasions on which she has allowed grounds, forming part of a leased national school site, to be used for other purposes under the terms of rule 41 (6) of the Rules for National Schools.
Appendix G of the Constitution and Rules of Procedure of Boards of Management set out the conditions under which national schools may be used for purposes other than the education of the pupils. As this is a delegated approval, no register is kept of the occasions on which schools (or their grounds) are so used.
290 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education the reason for the prohibition, in rule 48 (2) of the Rules for National Schools, of the vesting of new national schools in the Minister for Education.
The primary school system in Ireland evolved on the basis of voluntary local initiatives which gave rise to local control and management. The State's role has been to aid and assist the provision of national schools in response to such local initiatives and the Constitution refers to this. For these reasons national schools generally are vested in trustees under lease, and it would be inappropriate for the schools to be vested in the Minister for Education in these circumstances. However, the Minister is a party to each lease.
The Deputy will be aware that there are still some examples of national schools vested in the Minister for Education. These are in the main model schools and date from the last century.
291 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she is satisfied with the effectiveness and usefulness of rule 121 (7) of the Rules of National Schools which requires that a copy of the said rules should be retained in each school and that teachers should make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the rules, in view of the fact that an updated version of the rules has not been issued since February 1965 and the rules have since been purportedly amended by numerous departmental circulars.
I am aware that the Rules for National Schools are in need of revision and that this has implications for the operation of rule 121 (7) at school level.
I understand that the reasons why the rules have not been comprehensively revised and published over the years relate to the complexities of the issues involved and the lack of staff resources to complete the task. The issues involved are being examined currently by the Primary Education Review Body and the Primary Curriculum Review Body. While preparatory work has been done on a revision of the Rules, I intend to await the recommendations of these bodies before proceeding further.
292 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if rule 138 of the Rules for National Schools, concerning the payment of children's allowance to teachers, has been amended in any way.
Rule 138 of the Rules for National Schools was amended by the introduction of arrangements for the elimination of the marriage-differentiation in teachers' pay which were notified to the Boards of Management and national school teachers in Departmental Circular 27/79. The following are the arrangements introduced concerning the payment of children's allowance to teachers:
293 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will give details of (a) the cost (b) the location (c) the number of staff and students (d) conditions for entry and (e) the curriculum of each preparatory college established under Chapters XVI and XVII of the Rules for National Schools.
There is only one preparatory college, Coláiste Moibhí, in Rathmines, Dublin 6, which is the juniorate of the Church of Ireland College of Education. As such, it is funded as part of that establishment and consequently a separate costing for the preparatory college is not available.
Three full-time staff are employed in Coláiste Moibhí, and these are supplemented by part-time staff where necessary. There are currently 23 students in Coláiste Moibhí, who follow the leaving certificate programme. Entry to Coláiste Moibhí is by competition based, in the main, on the results of the intermediate certificate examination; I am arranging for a copy of the leaflet setting out the full conditions of entry to be sent to the Deputy for his information.
294 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will give details of each occasion, since their coming into force in 1965, on which she has altered or rescinded the Rules for National Schools under Rule 165 thereof.
There have been a considerable number of changes to the Rules for National Schools since their publication in 1965. However, pending further progress by my Department on the task of producing an updated version of these rules, it is not possible to supply the information requested by the Deputy without the expenditure of an inordinate amount of official time and so I am not in a position to provide it.
The Deputy should also be aware that the issues involved are being examined currently by the Primary Education Review Body and the Primary Curriculum Review Body. I intend to await the recommendations of these bodies.
