Nora Owen
Question:414 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision, if any, he has made in the 1999 Estimates for additional teachers in second level schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27365/98]
Written Answers. - School Staffing.
I recently announced a major funding initiative for the education sector.
At second level, a total of 225 new teachers will be appointed. Combined with a very significant change to the manner of dealing with over-quota staffing in secondary schools, these new teachers will enable a move towards the provision of an automatic remedial resource in all schools and home-school-community liaison in all disadvantaged schools.
The new package will be resourced by allocating an additional teaching provision to schools which are within quota and lack the appropriate remedial and home-school provision. In the case of schools with over quota teachers who might otherwise be re-deployed, this resource will be utilised in the first instance to meet the remedial and home-school needs of the school.
Following the implementation of the above package some schools will nonetheless have on their staff over-quota permanent teachers. In deciding on whether or not these teachers come within the redeployment scheme, a ratio of 18:1 will be utilised. The impact of this is that schools will be allowed to retain teachers who might otherwise have been placed on the redeployment panel. This will give schools greater certainty in relation to the utilisation of these permanent teachers pending the occurrence of retirements.