Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Mar 1994

Vol. 440 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Limerick Remedial Teacher Appointment.

Mr. Finucane

I call on the Minister to appoint a shared remedial teacher for Monagea national school, Templeglantine national school and Dromtrasna national school in County Limerick. There is a great relationship and co-operation between these neighbouring schools and they make a practical unit being so close together. The distance from Monagea school to Templeglantine school is four miles and from Templeglantine to Dromtrasna school is over three miles.

Monagea national school has 147 pupils, Templeglantine national school has 132 pupils and Dromtrasna national school has 98 pupils, a combined total of 377 pupils. The pupils attending Monagea and Dromtrasna schools come from a mixed urban and rural background and many would benefit greatly from the help of a remedial teacher. There is also a need in Dromtrasna school. Four children whose parents are German attend this school and need special help in all aspects of the curriculum, especially English. Each of the three schools has accommodation available for a remedial teacher.

Over a considerable period consultations have taken place with the principals, teachers, parents and boards of management and it is recognised that a remedial teacher would be of great benefit to many of the children. The Department of Education will allocate an additional 100 remedial teachers during 1994 on the basis of priority of need. I request the Minister to allocate a remedial teacher to these schools.

Mr. Aylward

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he knows, and as I indicated to the House on several occasions, remedial education at primary level is a matter in the first instance for the ordinary class teachers. The majority of pupils with remedial needs would, therefore, be helped within the scope of the normal service.

However, it is acknowledged that remedial teachers constitute the main additional resource for addressing the problem of underachievement in primary schools. It was with this in mind that a further 86 posts were allocated for remedial purposes out of the quota of posts made available under the Programme for a Partnership Government for the school year 1993/94.

These appointments were made following the collection of information from schools by the Department's primary inspectorate. The posts were then allocated on the basis of priority of need, as indicated by the information collected. There were applications from in excess of 1,100 schools for these posts and, in all, 308 schools benefited from the allocation.

This latest allocation brings to 1,033 the total number of remedial teachers operating within the primary school sector at present. Of the 3,209 ordinary national schools in the country, approximately 1,700 have the services of a remedial teacher either on a full-time or shared basis. As a result of the current level of service, 77 per cent of all primary school pupils have access to remedial support. At this stage, all primary schools with enrolments above 362 pupils, which sought a remedial service, have at least one remedial teacher and many more smaller schools have the service on a shared basis.

Of the 148 ordinary national schools in County Limerick, 78 have the services of a remedial teacher either on a full-time or shared basis. This includes four schools allocated a remedial service in the current school year as part of the national distribution under the Programme for a Partnership Government. This latest allocation means that 77 per cent of pupils attending national schools in County Limerick currently enjoy a remedial service.

Current demographic trends will give further opportunities to allocate additional teacher posts to support pupils with special needs in 1994. As part of this development, it is intended to allocate 100 of these posts to provide additional remedial support in national schools.

I assure the Deputy that the needs of the schools referred to by him will be considered in the context of this development.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy John O'Leary was selected by me to raise a matter on the Adjournment. However, I understand the Deputy is unavoidably absent and wishes to extend his apologies to the House, the Minister and the Department concerned.

The Dáil adjourned at 8.55 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 23 March 1994.