Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Oct 1994

Vol. 445 No. 8

Adjournment Debate. - Ennis (Clare) Teachers' Centre.

Mr. Carey

Thank you for the opportunity to raise this important matter concerning the full-time status of the Ennis Teachers' centre which was opened in 1973 and was immediately successful. In 1974 the Department of Education offered financial assistance towards the erection of a purpose built centre. Since then the facility has moved to three locations, despite undertaking many initiatives. The centre provided in-service support for over 534 primary teachers and services 123 primary and 19 post-primary schools. The majority of Clare primary teachers have availed of this service even though some schools are 40 miles west of Ennis. West Clare primary schools are 70 miles from Limerick but the uptake in Ennis was high because of its suitable geographical location in an essentially rural setting. Over 1,600 attendances were recorded in one year by the centre and in 1993 a total of 147 teachers registered for courses on assessment.

There have been many other examples of the enthusiasm with which the service was taken up. The complete staff of St. Partick's comprehensive school at Shannon which has 56 teachers, Rice College, Ennis which has 30 teachers and Scariff Community College which has 31 teachers, attended three courses in the centre. A whole staff development day for post-primary teachers of County Clare vocational education committee schools will be held during the November break. A variety of subjects have been dealt with in the centre: ornithology and the primary teacher, children's emotional problems and teacher stress, keep fit and the primary teacher, archeology, computers and the teacher, craft in the classroom, video promotion and negligence in school and its legal effects.

People are concerned about proposals to downgrade the Ennis teachers' centre. They are disappointed that Clare will be the only county in Munster without a full-time teacher centre.

If this downgrading occurs, it will be most regrettable particularly as the teachers demonstrated their ability to co-operate by working with such diverse groups as the Western Education and Library Board, Omagh, County Tyrone; Maoin Cheoil an Chlair; the Leader programme; Scoilsport; St. Patrick's Comprehensive School, Shannon; Rice College, Ennis; Mid and East Clare Arts and Crafts Association and the Irish Wildbird Conservancy. Important people have also lectured in the centre. They include John McElroy, education officer from Omagh; Oliver Mahon, barrister; Sr. Thecla Kelly, Armagh; Dean Perdue, Killaloe; Maria Stubbings, Master of Education; Dr. Morris, University College, Limerick; Mícheal Ó Conghaile, school inspector, Department of Education; Sr. Geraldine Collins, speech therapist, Mid-Western Health Board; Dr. Tony Humphreys, B.A., with a Higher Diploma in Physical Education, Cork; Ms Dympna McNamee, Principal, St. Mary's School, Tyrone; Kieran Burke and Eugene Wall, Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick; Mr. Jim Lyons, chief executive officer and Don Herron of the Department of Education in Dublin.

I appeal to the Minister of State for his support and agreement with the wishes of the teacher unions in County Clare, particularly the INTO. They are strongly of the opinion that a full-time teachers' centre is necessary in Ennis and they want a full-time director appointed. Will the Minister arrange a meeting with the Oireachtas Members from my constituency to discuss this matter?

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Aylward)

No decision has been made to amalgamate the Ennis and Limerick teacher centres. The Department of Education recently issued a discussion paper outlining proposals on the future organisation of a national network of education centres. It was clearly stated in the document that the proposals had not been adopted as official policy and that the discussion paper was being presented for consideration and feedback, in order to inform the debate on the development of an overall framework for in-career development.

At present there are 25 teacher centres at various locations around the country. Their purpose is to provide a meeting place for primary and post-primary teachers to discuss issues related to their work; to promote and facilitate in-career development; and to act as resource centres which would provide a library of educational materials.

Of the existing network, nine are full-time centres with a fulltime director and the remainder are part-time centres whose directors receive an honorarium. The running costs of the centres are funded through grants from the Department of Education and through income generated from course fees and the sale of materials.

The discussion paper envisaged that two new centres would be established and a further seven upgraded to fulltime status in order to provide a network of 18 fulltime centres throughout the country. These would henceforth be known as main centres and provide a service for teachers in their respective catchment areas. The proposal to exclude a number of existing part-time centres, including Ennis, from the fulltime network was on the basis of geographical location, and in no way denies that excellent work has been done to date in the centres.

The discussion paper proposed that associate centres could be proposed by any main centre in its catchment area on the basis of regional requirements and such factors as the spread of school-teacher population, distance from the main centre, teacher interest, local needs etc. Such centres, if established, would be run by a part-time director under the general management of the main centre.

In setting out proposed locations for centres, Limerick Teacher Centre — an existing full-time centre — is designated as a main centre within the network, and is located near the existing part-time centre in Ennis. The House will appreciate that the discussion paper provides a basis for the continued operation of part-time teacher centres, but on the basis of an assessment of needs in the overall region, and under the general management of the main centre.

The rationale underlying this approach is to ensure, within a climate of scarce resources, that the best possible use is made of the incareer development budget, so that staff in all first and second level education institutions are located in the catchment area of a full-time main education centre, and that every region is catered for. The proposals attempt to balance the need for economies of scale against the demands for local provision in various towns. In that context, the geographical spread of provision has to be a prime consideration.

As I have indicated, the document is a discussion paper only and has not been adopted as official policy. It was presented to the Association of Teacher Centres in Ireland in order to further debate and elicit feedback. Officials of my Department will shortly be attending an annual general meeting of the Association of Teacher Centres in Ireland in order to hear the responses to the proposals, and no decisions will be made until the consultative process has been completed.

I take this opportunity to express my Department's appreciation of the excellent work being carried out in the Ennis Teacher Centre, and to stress again that considerations of geography underpinned the proposal not to upgrade the centre to fulltime status. It will remain an associate centre.

I will be happy to take up Deputy Carey's request to organise a deputation to the Department. I will communicate with him in that regard.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.20 p.m. until 2.30 on Tuesday, 18 October 1994.