Vol. 497 No. 6
244 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of hours the 567 wholetime teachers equivalents, allocated for guidance counselling, are actually timetabled for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26074/98]
Timetables for individual schools and teachers in respect of the current school year have not been processed in my Department.
Where additional full posts have been made available on an ex-quota basis for guidance purposes, the weekly timetabled hours for the guidance counsellor must include a minimum of 12 hours of guidance work and three hours of ordinary classroom teaching. Where the ex-quota allocation for guidance is less than a full post, the hours in question must be used exclusively for guidance purposes.
Where guidance is being provided within the school's normal quota of teachers, the actual number of hours to be allocated has not been specified by my Department, although a reasonable portion of the guidance counsellor's time should be devoted to guidance work.
