Vol. 475 No. 5
18 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Education if she will allow a school (details supplied) in County Galway to retain its two teachers as she did on 30 May 1996; and if she will make a statement on the future of the school. [5111/97]
77 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Education if the reprieve given to 16 two-teacher schools to retain the teachers will be extended; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5112/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 77 together.
Last year, two-teacher schools which were due to lose a teacher because of falling enrolments and thus become one-teacher schools were allowed to retain their posts for the 1996-7 school year. The school to which the Deputy refers was one of the 16 schools which benefited from this concession.
Final decisions regarding the staffing allocations for primary schools for the 1997-8 school year have not yet been taken.
In September 1997, this Government will have reduced the pupil teacher ratio in primary schools to 22 to 1 from a level of 25.2 to 1 when I took office as Minister for Education. The putting in place of a pupil teacher ratio of 22 to 1 will enable me to retain a substantial number of posts to further enhance the quality of primary education through, for example, improving the staffing schedule and providing extra resources to address a range of special needs. In allocating these posts, the needs of small schools, including each of the schools in question, will be taken into account.
