I wish to share my time with Deputy McDaid.
Private Members' Business. - Appointment of Remedial Teachers: Motion.
The following motion was moved by Deputy Martin on Wednesday, 4 December 1996:
That Dáil Éireann condemns the failure of the Minister for Education to appoint even one remedial teacher for the 1996-97 academic and calls on the Minister to appoint a significant number of additional remedial teachers to schools for the 1997-98 academic year from the demographic dividend that will emerge as a result of falling enrolments.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following:
"Dáil Éireann commends the Minister for Education for the significant improvements she has introduced in recent years in the area of remedial education and other innovations introduced for the benefit of children with special needs."
—(Minister for Education).
That is agreed.
At the conclusion of my remarks yesterday evening I was critical of the Minister in relation to the pupil-teacher ratio which is an important aspect of this debate. I made the point that the Minister had effectively frozen the pupil-teacher ratio numbers. That is a retrograde step despite the Minister's talk about providing assistants to clusters of disadvantaged schools in rural areas as well as targeting schools in disadvantaged urban areas. There is still an urgent need to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio. As the INTO has pointed out, Ireland has the largest primary school class size in Europe. I hope the Minister can also reduce the pupil-teacher ratio for remedial teachers. If she did, especially in rural areas, teachers would not have to go on a panel from which it is difficult and sometimes impossible to get into the school in which they work in a temporary capacity.
The Minister has the recommendations of the Combat Poverty Agency and the Education and Research Centre Project and they identify the need to help smaller schools in remote and isolated rural areas. I hope this will get special attention. It is sad that staffing of primary schools is based on the enrolment in the school on the previous September. This will continue to be a major concern every year.
As we are talking about remedial teaching, I refer to a submission made by Dyslexic Support Centre based in Limerick. The document details some facilities in Cork as well as Dublin and states that, in every Deputy's constituency, one family in ten has a dyslexic child. The survey carried out by the group and research it has from Europe and America suggest that 87 per cent of dyslexic children will fall in the average to above average ability range. Many will have artistic, mathematical or scientific abilities but are not being catered for by the current remedial education system and, for that reason, cannot reach their full potential. The problem, and remedial teachers will say this, is that there is no suitable programme in remedial teaching for dyslexic children.
I hope when the Minister addresses this issue, she will examine the parts of the country where no support is provided by the support centres. For example, no services are provided for these children in the provinces of Connacht and Ulster. The services are currently in Limerick, Shannon, Ennis and Tralee and it is hoped to open a unit in Clonmel in January. This is an important issue which has been neglected in the past. The Minister talked about four special schools dedicated to the problem of dyslexia. Three of these are in Dublin and one in Cork. What happens to a dyslexic child from any other part of the country?
It is encouraging that remedial and resource teaching has been noticed by the Minister and the Government in recent years. However, I fail to understand why the appointment of these teachers has come to a full stop. It is time the Minister examined the available research, that remedial and resource teachers were provided and the issue of dyslexia or other problems in primary schools were addressed.
It is important in an overcrowded school that a classroom is made available for a remedial teacher. I know of one school in my constituency where the remedial teacher, who is shared by six schools, has the use of a small room measuring five feet by five feet. It is disgraceful there is no proper accommodation for that teacher. We are looking for something very minimal and I hope the Minister will respond.
I am delighted to be given a chance to speak on this subject. As Deputy Martin said last night, Fianna Fáil has tabled this motion to highlight the lack of access of primary school children to a proper and comprehensive remedial teacher programme. We call on the Minister to appoint additional remedial teachers. Neither I nor many TDs will be aware of the situation nationally but we are aware of it in our counties because people come to us for assistance.
The Minister states that up to 80 per cent of schoolchildren have access to remedial teachers. The most disadvantaged schools in Donegal must be part of the 20 per cent. I can give examples in my area and the problems there. I have a file containing 25 letters written to the Minister and the Department of Education over six years seeking a remedial teacher for different areas. Some of the statistics are horrific. When an application was made for a remedial teacher for a cluster of schools, Termon, Kilmacrennan, Rathdonnell, Trentagh and Portlean, it was refused.
Termon national school was built in 1977 and serves an extremely remote area of Donegal. The county is vast and towns and families are scattered. Herein lies the kernel of many of its social and educational problems. The nearest neighbours of some children live more than two miles away. There is, therefore, a lack of peer group stimulation outside of school. This is what is happening in rural areas where children live vast distances apart and do not have peer group stimulation. It means that children remain weak and many have speech and vocabulary problems apart from not being able to interact socially with their peers. Termon, for example, has 101 children from 52 families. This gives an idea of its remoteness. There are no factories. Of the 52 families, 24 have no wage earner and, of the other 28, only one wage earner has full-time pensionable employment. Many of the families are dependent on the parent working in part-time occupations. Of the 52 families, 17 live in local authority rented housing and 22 draw the dole. One child attending the school has cerebral palsy, one is attending a psychologist for hypersensitivity and one other small child, Raymond McLaughlin, has been disgnosed with a high mental handicap by the educational psychologist with the recommendation that he be moved to St. Bernadette's in Letterkenny. The parents do not want the child to move. Therefore, the school must take the child on board. A resource teacher should and must be appointed to such a school. Unfortunately, there is only one resource teacher in the whole of Donegal. It is in these rural areas that priority should be given. I give this as an horrific example of what has happened.
I wonder what has happened to the submission sent in by the principal, Mr. Gillespie, to St. Patrick's College in the last week which indicated that these schools required updating of their teacher numbers? Unfortunately, schools which are not half as bad have received word that they have got teachers. I wonder if it is at local level or somewhere else that the problem lies when a school like Termon cannot get a remedial teacher?
I would like to share my time with Deputies Bradford and Kathleen Lynch.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this debate. Since my election to Dáil Éireann I have taken a personal interest in the remedial and special needs of the children in my constituency of Kerry South. The last speaker spoke about his Donegal constituency and as I represent a constituency which is similar to his I can appreciate his concerns. I must confess, however, that I am very surprised that Fianna Fáil has chosen this issue as the subject of a Private Members' motion. Fianna Fáil's record in this area is appalling, yet that party has the audacity to criticise the Minister for Education who has made specialised intervention at all levels of the education system a priority since she took office.
The Progressive Democrats were Fianna Fáil's partners in crime and I vividly recall the neglect of the education system under the Fianna FáilProgressive Democrats Government. When we debate economic matters we hear much from Fianna Fáil about their management of the economy between 1987 and 1992. They are less keen to debate their management of other policy areas, including education.
The Minister outlined a number of areas where her track record is far superior to that of her predecessors. Those of us working in constituencies need no facts or figures to prove the improvements that have been made since 1992. In my constituency alone 21 additional schools have been included for access to remedial services since I was elected to this House. The people of Caherciveen have no complaints about this Minister's performance with regard to national schools. It is my hope that the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio in these schools, namely, St. Mary's Boys' national school, St. Joseph's national school, Scoil Bhreanainn in Portmagee and five other national schools, will be a big help to pupils and teachers in these schools. It is also my hope that the teachers in these schools will now be in a position to devote more time to the special education needs of pupils who have significant difficulties.
I am aware, from my meetings with parents in Kerry South, that much more is required but, unfortunately, the Minister cannot in a short time make up for many years of neglect in this area by previous Ministers. We need more, and as we raise people's expectations of the education system we contribute to their refusal to accept anything but the best. That is how it should be.
I welcome the Minister's announcement that she has initiated a new study on the provision of remedial education in schools. The Education Research Centre in Drumcondra has a fine reputation, and I am sure that its work will be of huge benefit to us in the future. If we are to commit more resources to tackling problems in our education system, it is essential that we determine the most effective way to spend this money. That is why the Minister has initiated the "Breaking the Cycle" initiative to complement the existing system for disadvantaged areas. The concern to get value for money has marked the Minister's approach to change in our education system, and I commend her for that.
Our education system is one of the finest in Europe. However, as our society has changed, pressures on children and teachers have increased. The concept of special needs has broadened considerably. In some schools the role of teacher overlaps with that of psychologist, social worker and other specialists. Teacher training has sought to keep abreast of these developments. However, teachers who were trained in earlier times find it difficult to cope with the range of demands placed upon them. I fully support the Minister's statement that the provision of remedial teachers is only part of the debate about special needs. However, Fianna Fáil Front Bench Deputies should have squirmed when she pointed out that she has appointed almost three times as many remedial teachers as they did when they were last in control of the Department of Education.
Last night Deputy Martin trotted out his party's usual line when confronted by an impressive Labour Party performance in Government. They point out that they too were in Government with my party and hence are entitled to a share in the credit for the wonderful work of the present Minister. The real difference was achieved by the appointment of the first Labour Minister for Education, not Fianna Fáil's participation in Government.
I commend the Minister on the holistic way in which she has addressed the issue of special needs in education. This includes a 700 per cent increase in the appointment of resources teachers since the Minister took office; the appointment of visiting teachers for the travelling community and children with visual and hearing impairments and Down's syndrome; huge improvements in resources available for special classes which, in some cases represent an increase of 400 per cent in the allocation provided by the Minister's predecessor; the appointment of child care assistants; and the appointment of 27 teacher counsellors to deal with the growing occurrence of disruptive behaviour, which is a special need in itself. This is an impressive record.
However, despite the progress that has been made in the past three years, we cannot afford to be complacent. As we move towards a society in which the economy is determined by an individual's level of skills, the importance of education cannot be underestimated. We must continually seek improvements. This applies not only to remedial education but to all aspects of educational policy.
The Minister has made an impressive contribution to righting the wrongs that preceded her in her Department. I am confident that this year's Book of Estimates will represent another step towards an efficient and effective education sector.
I am glad to have the opportunity to say a few words on the important topic of education, which is a core issue in the development of society. The last speaker summed up matters well when she said we have raised people's expectations of education to the extent that they will no longer accept second best. That applies particularly to remedial education and the teaching of disadvantaged people in our society.
We must concede that the overall level of education services over the past 20 or 30 years has improved dramatically. We now have perhaps the best education system in Europe in the context of third level education, with an ever increasing number of people availing of third level education and graduating each year with certificates, diplomas and degrees from our many excellent and varied third level institutions.
Simultaneously, we still have much too high an incidence, particularly at national school level, of people who have great difficulty in grasping the basic tools of education. No matter how high we raise the bar regarding third level education, we must realise that we have many challenges to face when we still have people entering second level schools unable to read or write properly.
Statistically, the record of the present Minister in relation to remedial education and the provision of educational facilities for the disadvantaged in society is second to none. During her time in the Department she has approved the appointment of 241 extra remedial teachers. This means that 87 per cent of pupils have access to remedial education compared with 77 per cent prior to Deputy Bhreathnach's becoming Minister for Education. I hope we will soon arrive at a situation where 100 per cent of pupils at national school level will have access to the remedial teacher, the resource teacher or the specialist teacher. Until such time as we reach 100 per cent of pupils we are not giving children the service they deserve.
The education budget which the Minister has to approve and manage each year is one of the largest departmental budgets. It is one which has increased in size and scope at a significant level each year. No matter how much money is available to the Minister for distribution within her Department there will always be competing claims. Remedial teaching and specialist education is a vital area and therefore requires urgent attention and the maximum possible amount of the money available. The Minister also has to provide for a huge salaries and wages bill, equipment and school buildings.
While we are debating remedial education and the need for further investment in that area, only a few days ago the main topic of the education debate related to schools buildings when the INTO made public the list of national school buildings which are not in an acceptable condition. This is a huge problem which needs the Minister's attention. Sadly it is impossible to tackle all the problems together. That is why any Minister in any Department is always under pressure from competing demands. I commend the Minister on the amount of money she has put into educational facilities and resources for the disadvantaged and I appeal to her to ensure these moneys will be increased in 1997.
Basic education is vital to the development of the pupil, society and the economy. Any pound spent at the most basic level of the education ladder produces tremendous value. While I am all in favour of the Minister's initiative in regard to improving access to and providing free fees for third level education, we cannot forget there is still a huge number of pupils at national school level who require significant extra help and resources. The bulk of the available money must be targeted at those people because one cannot build a solid education system on weak foundations. Where 5 per cent, 6 per cent or 7 per cent of pupils leave national school without the ability to read or write there is something fundamentally wrong which requires urgent attention.
We cannot ignore the socio-economic background to much of the problem. Statistics clearly demonstrate that pupils coming from a background where the majority of parents are unemployed and have low educational qualifications appear to have a greater need for specialist education than other pupils. The Minister is correct in trying to target areas and schools. Our difficulty as public representatives is that the areas targeted are never as widespread as we would wish. We can all report from our constituencies schools which require extra resources and access to remedial teachers and, perhaps, entire areas which require disadvantaged status. Progress has been made during 1996 but we hope further progress can be made in 1997. We must ensure we do not have the educational wastelands which exist in some of our larger urban areas. I commend the Minister's attempt to deal with matters requiring specialist attention. I trust she recognises there are schools in the smaller towns and villages in rural areas which also require urgent attention and access to remedial and resource teachers.
I commend the Minister on her record to date. The statistics speak for themselves. She has ploughed record resources and a record number of teachers into the system but all backbench Deputies can report that serious problems remain to be addressed. We hope that during 1997 she will build on her record and make further resources and facilities available to weaker and marginalised pupils. Unless that is done we will continue to create other socio-economic problems down the line. Let us nip the problem in the bud and from an education point of view that means ploughing further money into the schools and areas where there are serious problems.
While I do not have a great deal of experience in this area I understand that Private Members' motions tabled by the Opposition are meant to embarrass the Government and to point out the defects in its programme or its inaction in certain areas. I always find them interesting. It may be because since I became a Member I have spent only three weeks in turmoil and the rest on the Government side so that I do not have the great chastisement of being in Opposition. These debates are an opportunity to discuss areas about which I feel strongly.
Parliaments all over the world have interest groups within them and ours is no different. For example, as soon as one mentions agriculture a certain group of people get extremely excited. Various other interest groups are concerned with taxation, business, newspapers, etc. The subject about which I am passionate is education and disadvantage. Education which has the ability to alleviate disadvantage has the global effect. I regard these debates as an opportunity to express my point of view. Fianna Fáil, which has spent 50 of the past 75 years in Government, has a cheek to expect anyone, in a period of two years, to remedy the neglect over which it has presided for such a lengthy period in the life of the State. It is incredible that Fianna Fáil can sit without blushing and listen to the litany of neglect in certain areas.
Nobody would dispute that there are six areas in Ireland which would be termed severely disadvantaged in all aspects. I represent one of those areas. How could anyone with any vestige of compassion — I am not talking about intellectual ability — have allowed this to happen? It is estimated that 15 per cent of pupils attending school need the attention of remedial teachers. This is a huge figure. It is also estimated that 6,000 remedial teachers are necessary to address that need. The number of such teachers is increasing dramatically, although not enough.
I favour the targeted intervention approach which has never been favoured by Fianna Fáil, except in Gaeltacht areas where it has been most successful. Fianna Fáil should have learned from that. We should have a targeted approach to deal with education in areas of disadvantage. Such an approach would mean that areas most in need of attention in all their social aspects would have a greater chance of attaining the level other areas have reached, although that is not to say other areas have an enormous advantage.
The number of remedial teachers has increased although not sufficiently. In 1992-93 there were 947 remedial teachers and in 1995-96 that figure had increased to 1,188. Remedial teachers are now augmented by resource teachers which is an advantage. However, how much of an advantage is it and where will it lead in future? It is not enough and unless we take a targeted approach the figure will never be enough. The scatter-gun approach does not and never will work.
I wish to discuss areas of disadvantages, particularly the area of Cork North-Central which I represent. My remarks will be verified by other Deputies who represent that area. Research shows that high quality early education intervention has a positive impact in combating educational disadvantage in the future success of children. According to Damien Hannan in his research paper, "Ending Inequality in Education (Poverty Today 1992)", one in two children leaving school without a qualification or with poor junior certificate qualifications remains unemployed for up to five years, with up to one-third of such children never becoming employed. Can one imagine the prospect of never working as a result of how one is treated in primary education?
While we continue to build tower blocks at third level we give advantage to those who have already reached that level and who would have gone on to third level education anyway. The remainder of the children surveyed get low skilled and poorly paid jobs, are subject to high rates of turnover and have poor promotional prospects. Employment is, in many ways, indispensable to transition to adulthood and in establishing independent relationships, separate households and getting married. Gaining employment is essential for a successful adult life but it is difficult, especially in a labour market such as Ireland's which demands qualifications that are too high. If people do not have such qualifications they are in serious trouble.
The majority of the people I represent do not have the resources to enable them to secure a good education or employment. As Deputy Bradford pointed out, we are responsible for the social circumstances which we allow to exist. According to the 1991 census figures, Cork city was generally in line with national figures for educational attainment. However, a number of areas on the north side of the city showed an extremely high rate of early school leavers. Damien Hannan included graphs in his paper to show the contrast between the population which left education at age 15 years or less and that which remained in education after 20 years of age. In areas where people left education at 15 years or less almost 70 per cent and never less than 37 per cent were employed. In areas where people continued to third level education, less than 2 per cent were unemployed. In one area in Cork city, where attendance at third level education was 40 per cent, unemployment was less than 4 per cent. In a similar area, where attendance at third level education was less than 2 per cent, unemployment was 70 per cent. The connection cannot be ignored.
This phenomenon did not occur in the last two years. It was not an accident and was not caused by lack of attention. It was the result of a deliberate policy to court a section of society where one knew one would get support and neglect the rest. That is disgraceful.
(Wexford): The Deputy did that herself.
Unless we try to deal with this problem and ensure that it does not continue, none of us can hold up our heads and be grateful for the society we have.
A survey of students from 20 disadvantaged schools in this area showed that of the number of students who should have started second level education in 1992, 6 per cent never attended. There is no obligation on schools to inform the Department of Education about children who should attend school but do not. Those figures have to be gleaned from private surveys usually commissioned by people doing theses on a subject such as poverty. The Department of Education, which has sole responsibility for the education of our children, does not know whether the children are at school. This is crazy. Where are those children? What are they doing? Who has responsibility for them? We had better start taking that responsibility. Our only response to issues of social unrest appears to be right wing, conservative, repressive measures instead of ploughing money into areas where it will yield most benefit. Can one imagine a society in which every child had a proper education, was confident enough to apply for a job and had the ability to walk into an interview and say he or she is capable of doing it? However, that is not happening and it has not been a phenomenon of the last two years. We are talking about 70 years of neglect which will come home to roost.
When we discuss remedial teaching, we must never assume that people from particular areas need remedial teaching because they are intellectually deficient. There are many reasons for needing remedial teaching. People in all areas need remedial teaching from time to time. When we look at education we must not simply look at what we provide today. Education is about the consequences of tomorrow. We must ensure those consequences are good for the individual because if they are they will be good for society.
I agree we do not have enough remedial teachers. However, if we put sufficient resources into other areas in addition to remedial teaching, we will not need as many remedial teachers. It is not difficult to understand that children who do not have a proper place in which to study and who do not have sufficient food to eat are unable to concentrate. Would anybody be able to concentrate? They would not. This issue is not just about remedial teaching but about a package that must be put together.
My plea is that such a package would be targeted at the six areas which have been identified as being in greatest need. If every Member could leave this House at the end of his or her term and say they directed resources at the areas of greatest need, they would have done something worthwhile.
I wish to share my time with Deputies Browne (Wexford), Ellis and Moffatt.
I take it that is satisfactory and agreed? Agreed.
I am particularly pleased to have an opportunity of contributing to this debate. It is only right and proper that, on occasion, we take time to debate important educational issues, particularly as they apply to primary and pre-schooling education, the basis of all education. If we can get our resources in order in pre-schools and primary schools a number of later problems can be averted or eliminated. I am glad we have focused our attention on this matter today.
It is not my form and has not been my practice to address any statement made by Deputy Kathleen Lynch here. However, I should remind her there never has been a better time within my period of involvement in education, from the age of three and a half until elected to this House in 1987, for any Minister for Education to invest proper teaching resources in our schools because of the fall in school population or enrolments. Undoubtedly, any Minister who does not invest now has a case to answer.
At the beginning of this year the Minister for Education had 346 teachers surplus to normal classroom requirements. She had the option of allocating remedial or similar posts in primary education. I do not ever remember any previous Minister for Education who had that number of surplus teachers with which to do the right thing.
I have two points to raise, one in relation to pre-school and the other to the Breaking the Cycle scheme announced by the Minister this year. I regret the Minister is not present but because of the involvement of her Minister of State, Deputy Currie, with the Juvenile Justice Bill he will be in a position to readily respond to my comments and it is because he is present I make these remarks.
I want to make a very strong case for additional funding in pre-school education because it is at that level disadvantage begins. If we are prepared to invest proper resources in pre-schooling, at least we shall get the first rung of the educational ladder right. If we get young people properly established on that first rung, there is the prospect they will climb each additional one whereas, if they falter on the first, climbing will be more difficult.
The most respectable research has proven that for every £1 invested in pre-school education, society would benefit to the tune of £1,700 after 27 years. Greater care of and emphasis on pre-school and primary education promises even greater dividends resulting in reduced delinquency, truancy and early school-leaving. There will be a reduced cycle of poor parenting, fewer people in the poverty trap and reduced temptation toward crime. That has been proven by the best international research available.
I make a very strong plea of the Minister for Education to allocate more resources to pre-school education, which is where advantage or disadvantage begins. Indeed, in natural justice, we have a moral duty to ensure that all our children at least are given a fair start. If given a fair start they will have some hope later in life whereas, if they do not get it at age three, three-and-a-half or four, they will have little prospect later.
Primary school education here is severely under-financed. We have heard a great deal about a reduction in class sizes, in the pupil-teacher ratio but that is not always the case. For example, my sister, teaches in a convent school in Cork city and has 38 eight-years-olds in her class. If there is a weak child in that class, what chance has that child of receiving individual attention? What chance has any child of receiving the kind of individual attention needed and to which he or she is entitled when one teacher has to cope with 38 students daily?
The strongest point I make this morning relates to the manner in which the Breaking the Cycle scheme was administered and applied. When that scheme was first announced it filled me with optimism, I thought this was the beginning of correct thinking, the kind of thinking that would divert young people from the disadvantage visited on their homesteads, parents and communities through unemployment. I thought then at least we were doing something to protect young people from the worst social and economic side effects of unemployment.
In the case of my constituency, referred to already by another Member, two schools which by any objective standard met the eligibility criteria for the Breaking the Cycle scheme were not included. The schools to which I refer are Knocknaheeny and Churchfield in Cork North-Central. Those two schools ought to have topped the list of eligibility for that scheme. I raised this issue in the House before and repeatedly with the Minister and the Minister of State at her Department. I have pointed out the gross injustice done to the pupils in those two schools, their parents and teachers on not having been included in that scheme. If that omission is not rectified the scheme will be discredited. If schools that ought to be top of the list, under every heading in the criteria laid down, are not included, the question to be asked is on what criterion were some schools included and others excluded. In terms of the greatest need, those two schools were the most deserving in Cork city, and most likely, in any other part of the country.
I call on the Minister of State to take all necessary steps to ensure that wrong is remedied. The worst possible thing that could happen in education is that teachers would lose heart. In many areas of huge unemployment, very often the brightest and safest place for a child to be is at school and the most positive and constructive person with whom such a young pupil may come in contact is his or her teacher.
Primary school teachers are very creative and their efforts to brighten the education system are in stark contrast with the position when I was at school. Primary teachers are the most creative, caring and energetic people in the public service and it is important that they do not lose heart, throw in the towel and say they can no longer continue to teach in areas which are not given the resources necessary to give pupils a fair start in life and want to teach in areas which are more favourable from the point of view of teaching. If this happens then the loss to the education system will be immense and irreparable.
I appeal to the Minister to allocate more resources to pre-schools and the early start programme. I also appeal to her to allocate more resources to primary schools to ensure the appointment of additional remedial teachers and the provision of access for students to counselling and psychological services so that difficulties are identified and addressed early in life. Most importantly, there must be a proper application of the Breaking the Cycle initiative and the inclusion in it this year of the two schools to which I referred, Knocknaheeny and Churchfield in Cork.
(Wexford): I compliment our spokesperson, Deputy Martin, and Deputy Coughlan on putting down this timely motion which will help the Minister for Education in fighting her corner at the Cabinet table. The Government refers to our booming economy and the record returns to the Exchequer. It is important for the Minister for Education to secure a significant amount of this money for the development of primary education. This money should be targeted specifically towards the disadvantaged in the primary school sector.
I agree we have a good education system but we are living in changing times of increased poverty, unemployment and pressure on families. We must tackle specific areas of education, particularly the primary sector which must be properly funded. A high percentage of pupils do not go on to second level education and we must ensure they are given the best possible education within the primary school system. Many young people leave school without being able to read or write and they find it impossible to find jobs. The booming economy and the demographic dividend provide the Minister with the ideal opportunity to appoint additional remedial teachers. Primary teachers do a magnificent job but they need extra resources and facilities. There are many problems in the primary school sector which require attention, for example, large classes, urban and rural disadvantage and a lack of remedial teachers. The Minister has not utilised the resources at her disposal in the best interests of the primary school system.
As Deputy Martin said, the Minister has a great PR machine which gives the impression that every school has a remedial teacher. However, that is not the case. There are approximately 1,100 remedial teachers and approximately 3,000 national schools, 900 of which have no remedial teacher service. The perception is that all schools in County Wexford have a remedial teacher. However, some schools still have no access to a remedial teacher, while in most cases as many as three, four and five schools are served by one remedial teacher. It is not possible for a remedial teacher to provide a proper service when 10-15 per cent of pupils in all schools need special care and attention.
The Minister has clouded the issue and given the impression that every school has top class remedial teaching facilities. I have spoken to remedial teachers and parents who have told me that this is not the case. Many of them are concerned that remedial teachers can make only one or two visits a week to schools. The Minister refers to the need to look after the disadvantaged and needy in society and has introduced the Breaking the Cycle initiative. While I welcome this initiative I do not know how it can be justified when there is a lack of remedial teachers.
Deputy Lynch praised the Minister for what she has done and castigated Fianna Fáil for its lack of interest in education. If she looks at Fianna Fáil's record she will see that all the magnificent improvements in education were introduced by successive Fianna Fáil Ministers. The most breathtaking improvements, free second level education and school transport, introduced by Donogh O'Malley gave every young person, particularly those in rural areas, an opportunity to attend second and third level education. We will be forever indebted to Donogh O'Malley for these improvements. It is the height of hypocrisy for Deputy Lynch, who has only been in the House a wet day, to castigate the achievements of Fianna Fáil Ministers in the area of education.
The Minister has an ideal opportunity with the demographic dividend to appoint additional remedial teachers. Last year there were 346 teachers available under the demographic dividend but not one of these was appointed as a remedial teacher. The same number of teachers will probably be available this year and I call on the Minister to ensure that an adequate number of remedial teachers are appointed so that pupils are given a proper and adequate service. Many parents in County Wexford send their children to remedial classes outside school hours. It is disgraceful that they should have to do this. I hope this motion will prompt the Minister to fight her corner at the Cabinet table and to utilise the available resources in the appointment of the necessary number of remedial teachers in 1997.
I welcome the opportunity to debate the problems of disadvantage, disadvantaged pupils and the lack of remedial teachers. Deputy Browne dealt adequately with the comments made by Deputy Lynch. If Deputy Lynch checks the record of Fianna Fáil in terms of the provision of money for education she will see that, as was said when we introduced free second level education in the 1960s, we took the brains from the bog. The introduction of free second level education for all citizens and the school transport system were major achievements.
We refer to disadvantaged pupils and schools. However, there are so many types of disadvantage that it is difficult to know how to deal with it. In many schools the pupil-teacher ratios may not be adequate to give a fair and balanced opportunity to each pupil. In some rural areas the pupil-teacher ratios may be low, but the schools may have only two teachers catering for 30 or 40 pupils. Teachers should not have to teach three or four classes. While remedial teachers have been appointed in the past few years, they work only three or four hours per week in each school. Such a part-time service is not sufficient to give children who need that service a proper standard of education. A one teacher school in my constituency caters for 19 pupils, seven of whom are non-nationals and have difficulty learning through English. Children with special needs also attend that school. I have raised this matter with the Minister who, in fairness, stated that she has asked an inspector to investigate the matter.
The waiting time for child assessment in some schools is two years. That is a long time in the life of a child attending national school. The Minister should introduce a proper assessment system under which assessments can be processed within two months. The number of difficulties children encounter in two years could have a detrimental effect on them for the rest of their lives.
Deputy Browne referred to the fact that many parents send their children to private remedial education, but many parents could not afford such an education for their children. Groups, such as ACLD, continually seek money from the Minister, but are told it is not available. Parents who send their children to ACLD raise the necessary funding in whatever way they can, but many parents cannot afford the service provided by such groups. If we cannot provide remedial education in State institutions, we should allocate funding to such groups, which operate outside school hours, on an ongoing basis. Will the Minister of State ask the Minister to provide funding for those groups in the budget? They are bridging a gap in the education system.
It is unacceptable that parents should be told their child will not be assessed for two years unless they can afford to have it done privately. We should not base a school's needs on its pupil-teacher ratio. Every pupil in the school should be assessed individually. Perhaps we should consider assessing every child in their first two years at primary school. School inspectors are expected to identify children's problems without the assistance of a proper assessment programme.
We are not raising these points for political purposes, we are trying to deal with a problem that will lead to major social problems if it is not addressed immediately.
I am pleased to have an opportunity to contribute to this debate about the lack of remedial teachers, particularly in disadvantaged rural areas in the west. Everyone recognises the benefit of a good education. If education is to benefit individuals and the nation, it must be based on a solid foundation. That is where our primary schools play a role because, with the home, they are the foundation of our educational structure.
Every pupil does not have a similar ability. Because of their sociological background or other special difficulties, such as dyslexia, hearing difficulties, hyperactivity or autism, some children need extra tuition. If children are given a proper start in school, it will benefit them for life. If children in the west do not receive a proper education they have little hope of securing proper jobs in future. Children need a good education if they are to have a proper chance in life.
We must keep up with international trends and standards in other countries. We must have balanced pupil-teacher ratios, sufficient numbers of remedial teachers and psychological assessment programmes. To enable remedial teachers to identify children's problems, the children must be psychologically assessed. If a psychological assessment programme is implemented and sufficient numbers of remedial teachers provided, primary education will be well served. Primary teachers who have had the benefit of a remedial teacher in their schools are aware of the dramatic effect such a service can have on pupils. It gives every child an opportunity to avail of good primary education.
Members referred to the Minister's work in this area. While she may have a special interest in it, she must remember that her time in Government with Fianna Fáil gave her the first opportunity to initiate many of those developments. When the economy is doing well, additional funding could be provided for remedial teaching and, as Deputy Browne stated, we should make our pitch for remedial teaching in the run up to the budget. Members have extolled the advantages that can be derived from remedial teaching. Primary and secondary education are the cornerstone of education. We have a good education system, but children must be capable of attending second level schools if they are to gain full advantage from their education.
Primary education has changed in the past few years. Teachers must outline to their pupils the dangers associated with drugs, alcohol and crime. We should allocate as much money as possible to the primary sector to give every child a good chance in life.
I take this opportunity to commend and congratulate my colleague, the Minister for Education, on her commitment to ensuring that children with special needs have access to suitable education during their time at school. It is a rare opportunity to pay tribute to the work achieved during her Ministry. Often progress and hard work go unnoticed. Yet the Minister has achieved much in three years.
In her speech yesterday she outlined the progress made. I would like to reiterate some of the many advances that have taken place during the past three years. My colleague has deployed resources across a broad spectrum of special needs ranging from a lower pupil-teacher ratio for children with a mental handicap to initiating schemes in an effort to break the cycle of disadvantage for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She has significantly improved the rates of capitation payable to schools and in respect of children attending special schools and special classes. She has provided an additional ten psychologists to the school psychological service. She has initiated a pilot scheme to provide safety harnesses and escorts on certain school transport services to assist pupils with special needs. On that point I wish to refer to the establishment of the School Transport Review Committee. That committee was asked to review the transport arrangements for pupils in special schools and classes. I expect its report will be presented to me shortly.
Shortly? Define that.
I initiated the review. We were waiting for one for ten years. The review is in place and I expect results of it will be available shortly.
We are looking forward to it.
I am catching up with ten years' neglect. I will refer to that neglect later.
The Minister has deployed an additional 241 remedial and 39 resource teachers, bringing the total number of posts in the primary sector to 1,188 and 46 respectively. Those additional 280 posts demonstrate the enormous commitment the Minister and Government have made to children with special needs integrated into mainstream national schools. Despite attempts by the Opposition to take credit for the expansion of remedial education, the facts speak for themselves. In 1989, 1991 and 1992 not a single additional remedial teacher was appointed by the then Minister for Education. Can Fianna Fáil Deputies tell us why?
(Interruptions.)
At this stage 87 per cent of pupils in our primary schools have the possibility of access to a remedial teacher. That is a big improvement on the position when my colleague, the Minister for Education, took office in 1993 when 77 per cent of pupils had a possibility of such access. Much has been done, but more remains to be done. It will be done in a planned way in contrast with the neglect of the past.
The Minister for Education has always sought to ensure scarce resources are deployed in the most effective way for the benefit of children most in need. In the current year the Minister has adopted a particular focus on children who suffer from educational disadvantage and has sought to target resources at that area in an effort to break the cycle of disadvantage. As part of that process the Minister recently launched a major initiative aimed at bringing special targeted assistance to children who suffer serious educational disadvantage in selected urban and rural areas.
In the course of the debate reference was made to the fact that certain schools were not selected for inclusion in the Breaking the Cycle of disadvantage initiative. The criteria used for selecting schools and the selection process were carried out by the education research centre on an independent basis. All applicant schools were vetted and selected on the basis of the education research centre's assessment of needs as reflected in data submitted by the schools. I consider the Minister's decision to commission the education research centre to carry out that independent exercise was right, given the particular expertise of that body in the area of educational disadvantage.
I wish to refer to some of the schools mentioned. Two of them, Knocknaheeny and Churchfield, are in the north western ward of Cork city where I live and was educated. They are excellent schools and their staffs are committed to their pupils, as are the parents who support those teachers. They were recognised in the past and will be recognised for their commitment to their pupils.
They were ignored in this scheme.
The wrong impression is being created. Deputy Martin cannot have it both ways. An independent assessment and examination was called for——
There is no defence.
——and an independent conclusion has been given, but he now wants political interference in the matter.
All the data is there.
Acting Chairman
Let us hear the Minister without interruption. He has a limited time to make his contribution.
Will the Minister give way?
Deputy Martin will have time to respond in a few moments.
That is the acid test.
One hundred and ninety two schools were invited to submit data, 33 were recognised nationwide and five of them were on the north side of Cork city. Are the five schools that were recognised less worthy of inclusion?
Ask the Taoiseach about that.
That independent examination was carried out by the national education research centre based on criteria supplied by the Combat Poverty Agency. Is Deputy Martin suggesting there was political interference?
The Minister will not give way.
Deputy Martin can answer that question in a few moments. The examination was carried out independently. The Deputy cannot have it both ways.
Does the Minister of State stand over it?
(Interruptions.)
The House will appreciate the importance of ensuring that the limited resources available are deployed to the best effect. The Minister for Education has decided that a thorough remedial education study will commence in 1997 encompassing all aspects of the service. An initial departmental inspectorate survey——
Acting Chairman
I must interrupt the Minister of State as his time is exhausted.
In view of the many positive measures outlined in this debate — if I had not been interrupted I would have outlined more — I have no hesitation in calling upon the House to commend the Minister for Education for the very significant contribution made by her and her Department in the past number of years. I ask that that be taken into account.
(Wexford): They were Fianna Fáil initiatives.
I wish to share my time with Deputy Coughlan.
Acting Chairman
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I shared some of my time with the Minister for which I am sure he was grateful.
As a former teacher with limited experience, I recognise the need to put young people on the right road at an early age. That has been a cornerstone of Fianna Fáil policy and the record proves it. When Fianna Fáil was in Government we recognised the necessity to improve the education system at all levels. In the 1960s we introduced free education at second level and free school travel. Those two decisions changed our educational landscape.
The third level education system is very important and improvements in it have been made through the years, some by this Government. I give it credit where it is due. The facilities and funding available for investment in education as in other areas have been made available due to the good management of the economy since 1987. This year alone £2 billion has been made available for education purposes. From 1987 we in this party turned around the fortunes of the country and made it possible for this Government to use the money available wisely.
The Minister has increased the coverage of schools with remedial teachers geographically but there is then a problem of one teacher covering three to five schools, or more in some areas. The time then available to students with remedial teachers has been reduced. The Minister will have to reserve this. The reason for this was that pressure was on the Minister and she decided to use a political trick to say the Government had improved the situation.
(Wexford): A PR job.
The situation improved in one area and disimproved in another. This will have to be remedied.
This is all about equity.
Now that money is available there is no excuse for not increasing the number of remedial teachers.
Government speakers have harked back to Fianna Fáil in Government. We provided facilities and the financial wherewithal to do what we intended. Unfortunately, we went out of power and the present Government did not continue our policies. In the Cobh area three schools have sought remedial teachers for a considerable period and nothing has been forthcoming. The Minister of State should ensure that remedial teachers will be given to those schools.
Táim fíorbhuíoch a bheith labhairt mar gheall ar an scéim tacaíocht feabhas anseo. I remarked on the tenor of the other side of the House. They are uncomfortable that we raised this matter. The Minister defensively outlined all she has done in education over the last four years. This motion was not introduced acrimoniously. We support the need for remedial education and teachers.
Remedial education was first seen as a need in the 1960s but it was only in the 1970s when the child-centred approach was adopted that the grave need for remedial education was really noticed. I could have anticipated that the Minister would say "When I came into office 77 per cent of pupils had access to remedial education and now 87 per cent have access". However, the reality, as some of my colleagues have pointed out, is that there are 3,203 national schools in the country and 1,188 remedial teachers.
On 28 September 1995, on foot of a parliamentary question to the Minister, it was found that there are 918 national schools without access to a remedial teacher. Many remedial teachers are shared by clusters of schools. Up to ten schools may share a remedial teacher, as happens in the Gaeltacht. A cluster of four is enough. The teacher must spend time lifting material in and out of the car, not giving time to teaching. Many schools do not even have a room for remedial education. There are grave practical needs in remedial education.
All Deputies would agree all who need it should be entitled to remedial education. It is almost laughable that the Minister has introduced a review for 1997 and that she will have a report for the end of that year. I do not know where she will be then but she will not be Minister for Education. We will then decide what to do. We need remedial teachers in 1997, not 1998. Remedial teachers were not appointed last year because the Minister has gone off on a tangent. She sees a problem with disadvantage and puts all her money into that instead of spreading it out equitably.
We have spoken about the "Breaking the Cycle" scheme. Many Deputies have reservations about it and every Deputy would say there are schools in his or her constituency that should have been included. One lack in that scheme is that no remediation is attached to it. The scheme will work out well and I commend the work gone into it. We look forward to the review promised by the Minister but the lack of remediation attached to it will be a problem.
Remedial teachers were appointed in recent years so that large schools have an advantage over small rural schools. In a response to a parliamentary question on 25 July 1996, it was stated there are 120 national schools in County Clare and 63 have access to remedial education. About 50 per cent of children — 62 per cent of schools — do not have access to remedial education. In County Leitrim, there are 43 schools with 25 having access to remedial education, so 50 per cent do not have access. In almost every county 50 per cent of children have no access to remedial education.
There are probably a plethora of applications for remedial education on the Minister's desk. We want to see an equitable spread of all resources in education — remedial teachers, visiting teachers, the pilot scheme introduced successfully in Tallaght by Deputy O'Rourke, educational psychologists — but instead of increasing the numbers of people, the increase has been in the geographical spread. Instead of looking at need, the Minister looks at geography. That is the wrong way to implement a targeted approach to children.
The Minister mentioned international surveys on children's literacy performances. I am annoyed at this and no Member of the Dáil could be proud of them. It is absolutely terrible. In a survey of nine-year olds in this country, 12 per cent were identified by their teachers as needing remedial education but only half of them have access to it. At second level, an area totally neglected in remedial education, 13 per cent of pupils need help but only two in ten receive it. We will go nowhere unless there is a proper targeted approach and access to assessment which is almost non-existent because of the lack of educational psychologists. The grants available, £200 per remedial teacher, are paltry. That grant is to one school, not the four to 11 schools the teacher may be serving. The school with access to a remedial teacher should also have a grant to provide proper facilities for the children, particularly computers for those with special needs and dyslexia, and calculators. There are many practical things the Minister should address as well as appointing additional remedial teachers.
A Minister for Education has never had access to so much money: £2 billion. Many Minister for Education would have done far better with half that. We are tired listening to the Minister telling us that Fianna Fáil did nothing while in Government. She has access to £2 billion and what is described as the demographic dividend out of which the many needs we have highlighted in this debate should be met. She should not get on her high horse whenever the media highlights various issues or put all her eggs in one basket. There is a need for equity. She should ensure additional remedial teachers are appointed next year.
A delightful speech.
Amendment put.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 67; Níl, 56.
Tá
- Allen, Bernard.
- Barrett, Seán.
- Barry, Peter.
- Bell, Michael.
- Bhamjee, Moosajee.
- Bhreathnach, Niamh.
- Boylan, Andrew.
- Bradford, Paul.
- Bree, Declan.
- Broughan, Thomas P.
- Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Liam.
- Burton, Joan.
- Byrne, Eric.
- Costello, Joe.
- Coveney, Hugh.
- Crawford, Seymour.
- Creed, Michael.
- Currie, Austin.
- De Rossa, Proinsias.
- Deasy, Austin.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- Dukes, Alan M.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- Ferris, Michael.
- Finucane, Michael.
- Fitzgerald, Brian.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Flaherty, Mary.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Gallagher, Pat (Laoighis-Offaly).
- Gilmore, Eamon.
- Harte, Paddy.
- Higgins, Jim.
- Higgins, Michael D.
- Hogan, Philip.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kavanagh, Liam.
- Kemmy, Jim.
- Kenny, Enda.
- Kenny, Seán.
- Lynch, Kathleen.
- McCormack, Pádraic.
- McDowell, Derek.
- McGinley, Dinny.
- McManus, Liz.
- Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.
- Mulvihill, John.
- Nealon, Ted.
- Noonan, Michael (Limerick-East).
- O'Keeffe, Jim.
- Pattison, Séamus.
- Quinn, Ruairí.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, John.
- Ryan, Seán.
- Shatter, Alan.
- Sheehan, P.J.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Spring, Dick.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Taylor, Mervyn.
- Timmins, Godfrey.
- Upton, Pat.
- Walsh, Éamon.
- Yates, Ivan.
Níl
- Ahern, Bertie.
- Ahern, Dermot.
- Ahern, Michael.
- Ahern, Noel.
- Brennan, Matt.
- Brennan, Séamus.
- Briscoe, Ben.
- Browne, John (Wexford).
- Burke, Raphael P.
- Byrne, Hugh.
- Callely, Ivor.
- Coughlan, Mary.
- Cowen, Brian.
- Cullen, Martin.
- Davern, Noel.
- Dempsey, Noel.
- Doherty, Seán.
- Ellis, John.
- Fitzgerald, Liam.
- Flood, Chris.
- Foley, Denis.
- Foxe, Tom.
- Geoghegan-Quinn, Máire.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Hilliard, Colm M.
- Hughes, Séamus.
- Jacob, Joe.
- Keaveney, Cecilia.
- Kenneally, Brendan.
- Killeen, Tony.
- Kirk, Séamus.
- Kitt, Michael P.
- Kitt, Tom.
- Leonard, Jimmy.
- Martin, Micheál.
- McCreevy, Charlie.
- McDaid, James.
- McDowell, Michael.
- Moffatt, Tom.
- Molloy, Robert.
- Morley, P.J.
- Moynihan, Donal.
- Nolan, M.J.
- O'Donnell, Liz.
- O'Donoghue, John.
- O'Hanlon, Rory.
- O'Keeffe, Ned.
- O'Malley, Desmond J.
- O'Rourke, Mary.
- Power, Seán.
- Quill, Máirín.
- Smith, Michael.
- Treacy, Noel.
- Wallace, Mary.
- Walsh, Joe.
- Woods, Michael J.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies B. Fitzgerald and J. Higgins; Níl, Deputies D. Ahern and Callely.
Amendment declared carried.
Motion, as amended, put and declared carried.