Vol. 451 No. 3
63 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education the primary schools in each county which are due to lose a teacher in September 1995, under the new pupil teacher ratio as announced in her statement on the 1995 budget. [6580/95]
Under the new staffing arrangements for primary schools, teaching posts which would have been lost due to declining enrolments are being retained in the system. This will allow the pupil teacher ratio to be reduced from 23.4:1 in September 1994 to 22.9:1 in September 1995. It will also facilitate substantial improvements in the special education area, and in schools which are designed as disadvantaged.
Notwithstanding the above improvements, there will, of course, be a number of schools where teaching posts will be no longer warranted because of declining enrolments, as a result of which the teachers concerned will be redeployed under the panel arrangements. Details of these schools on a county basis are being compiled at present in my Department, and will be forwarded to the Deputy at a very early date.
