Vol. 504 No. 4
285 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision, if any, he has made under the disadvantaged school scheme for additional teachers to Mooncoin vocational school, County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12162/99]
In the vocational sector the teacher allocation is generally done on a VEC Scheme basis and it is a matter for the chief executive officer, with the approval of the VEC, to allocate teaching resources to individual schools from within the approved allocation for the scheme.
In the current school year, of the 762 schools at second level, 190 schools have been allocated disadvantaged posts and qualify for disadvantaged status on that basis.
A study of educational disadvantage conducted by the combat poverty agency and the education research centre in 1996 concluded that disadvantage status should be confined to 16 per cent of the school-going population. The study noted that such status had already been granted to 17 per cent of pupils. As an alternative to extending the disadvantaged area scheme to additional schools, the study recommended that available resources be targeted on the most disadvantaged schools.
I can assure the Deputy that the position of Mooncoin vocational school will receive full consideration in the context of any future review of the disadvantaged scheme.
