I thank the Chair for the opportunity to raise the issue of primary schools staffing schedules and the Minister of State for attending to reply. There was a general welcome for the announcement by the Minister for Education that no two teacher school would lose a teacher under the present staffing schedule for primary schools. This was welcomed in the west where 12 schools will not be reduced to one teacher schools, four of which are in my constituency of Galway East, four in Mayo, two in Donegal, and one in each of counties Sligo and Clare. Also, one school in each of counties Cork, Tipperary, Wicklow and Carlow will not be affected. A total of 16 schools will retain two teachers. The obvious anomaly here is that if a school is to retain two teachers it must have 25 pupils. I know of a two teacher school with 15 pupils and a one teacher school with 20 pupils. That is inconsistent and illogical. A one teacher school would not be treated in the same way as a two teacher school.
There are in the region of 140 primary schools which have either one teacher or are island schools — I understand the department group them in that way. It is extremely difficult for one teacher to teach all classes in such a school. The most important item of technology they have is the telephone which enables them to seek assistance if a child becomes ill or they need help.
If this trend continues and we freeze the pupil teacher ratio and allow schools to lose a teacher every year, eventually the one teacher schools will close. This would be regrettable especially in the west where a Minister of State has been appointed with responsibility for western development. We should hold on to what we have and seek new developments. The Minister should examine the staff schedule. Unfortunately, she has effectively frozen the pupil teacher ratio for retention of primary teachers. At a very minimum I suggest the Minister alter the staffing schedule for assistant teachers. If this were done over two years jobs and schools would be saved and teachers would not go on the panel.
When a teacher leaves a panel it is virtually impossible to get that teacher back. Given that the Minister has the recommendations of the Combat Poverty Agency and the education research centre report I hope priority will be given to smaller schools in rural, remote and isolated areas and that staffing of national schools would be addressed. Staffing a national school for a particular year is based on the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. This will be a major concern for boards of management as we approach September. The songwriter Mick Hanley, who used to talk about childhood memories of going to school said: "All I remember is dreading September and school". Children no longer dread September. Certainly the boards of management are dreading September for fear that they will lose a teacher, that the teacher will not come back to their school from the panel and that their school will be undermined. Will the Minister of State clear up some of the anomalies concerning the Minister's announcement and give priority and resources to the smaller schools in rural Ireland?
