Michael Ring
Question:585 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of one teacher schools in County Mayo. [7682/99]
Written Answers. - School Staffing.
Michael Ring
Question:586 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of one teacher schools since June 1997 to date. [7683/99]
Michael Ring
Question:587 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when he will honour his commitment to upgrade all one teacher schools to two teacher schools. [7684/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 585, 586 and 587 together.
There are currently ten one teacher schools in County Mayo.
The overall number of one teacher schools in June 1997 was 124. This number decreased to 103 for the 1997-98 school year and to 74 for the 1998-99 school year.
An Action Programme for the Millennium gave a commitment that all one teacher schools with ten or more pupils would be allocated a second teacher.
I began the process of implementing this commitment soon after taking up office. In the 1997-98 school year, a one teacher school needed a minimum enrolment of 25 pupils before it could gain title to its second post. I reduced this figure to 18 from 1 September 1998. Consequently, 25 one teacher schools have been allowed their second teaching post from the start of the current school year.
The retention figure for the withdrawal of the first teaching post in the 1997-98 school year was 23 pupils. I reduced this figure to 18 from 1 September 1998 with the result that 28 schools con tinue to operate in the current school year as two teacher units.
In addition, I allowed 14 schools, which had enrolments below 18 pupils, to continue to operate in the current school year as two teacher units. In total, therefore, in the current school year alone, a total of 67 schools have benefited from my determination to support one teacher schools.
The Deputy will also be aware from my recent announcement that I am introducing additional measures in the 1999-2000 school year which are designed to further improve the position of one teacher schools and which will benefit 50 schools. Specifically, I am reducing the number of pupils required to appoint a second teacher from 18 to 14. As a consequence of this initiative, 22 existing one teacher schools will become two teacher units from September next.
Additionally, by reducing the figure for the retention of the second teacher from 18 to 14 pupils, 21 existing two teacher school will continue to operate in the 1999/2000 school year as two teacher units.
I have further indicated that seven schools, which are currently two teacher units but which have an enrolment below 14 pupils, will also continue to operate in the 1999-2000 school year as two teacher units.
While the above initiatives clearly demonstrate this Government's commitment to one teacher schools, I can assure the Deputy that within the lifetime of this Government all schools with ten or more pupils will have a second teaching post.
The Deputy may wish to note that, as a result of the various initiatives one teacher schools, five schools in County Mayo benefited in 1997-98, a further eight County Mayo schools benefited in the current school year, while a further six schools in the county will benefit in the 1999-2000 school year.