Written Answers. - School Funding and Staffing.
John Gormley
Question:
409
Mr. Gormley
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if he has received a submission dated 17 September 1998 from the board of management of St. Matthew's national school, Cranfield Place, Irishtown, Dublin 4, in relation to the provision of a caretaker and clerical assistance, funding and capitation grant payments and the supply of qualified substitutes to cover for approved absences; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18296/98]
I can confirm that I have recently received a submission as set out by the Deputy from the board of management of Saint Matthew's National School, Cranfield Place, Irishtown, Dublin 4. The submission is being considered by officials within my Department and a response to the points raised in the submission will be communicated to the board shortly. I would add that I am fully aware of the ongoing demands for increased resources for primary schools in general. In this regard the Government's commitment to giving primary education a clear priority in the allocation of resources is set out in the policy document An Action Programme for the Millennium.
The Deputy will recall that the 1998 Estimates provided for an overall increase of almost 12 per cent in expenditure on primary education over the 1997 budget allocation. In this context, the 11 per cent increase in the standard rate of capitation grant at primary level represented an important step forward in the process of increasing capitation funding at primary level.
I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to continuing to effect sigificant improvements in the level of funding at primary level, and that this commitment will be further reflected in the 1999 Estimates.
Concerning the matter of teacher supply, on my appointment as Minister, I immediately recognised the need to increase the supply of trained teachers. Accordingly, last autumn, I increased the intake into graduate courses by 200.
I continued this process in the current year by increasing the intake to the colleges of education to over 1,000 places. I intend to continue with this process for the next number of years.
I also introduced a range of measures which are designed to boost the supply of trained teachers, including the recognition of fully qualified teachers who trained outside the State to teach in certain categories of schools and classes without the necessity to hold an Irish language qualification. Additionally, I have agreed that B.Ed. graduates from St. Mary's College in Belfast will be recognised as fully qualified teachers provided that they have studied Irish to honours level as an academic subject as part of their teaching qualification.
Discussions have also commenced with the University of Limerick with a view to providing a one year course for primary degree holders who hold the Higher Diploma in Education and who either have Irish as a final subject in their degree or have honours in Irish at Leaving Certificate level or its equivalent.
I recently announced that, from 1 September 1998, all primary degree holders who also hold the Higher Diploma in Education will be recognised as fully trained for the purposes of providing substitution service provided that they have Irish to grade C at higher level Leaving Certificate standard or its equivalent.
Furthermore, Montessori trained teachers who successfully completed the course of three years duration at St. Nicholas, Dún Laoghaire, and which is recognised by the National Council for Education Awards, will, from 1 September 1998, be granted recognition as fully trained substitutes provided that they attained a grade C or higher in higher level Irish in the Leaving Certificate or its equivalent.
I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to closely monitor the issue of teacher supply.
