Michael D. Higgins
Question:25 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the report of the working group on the role of the primary school principal; and when he intends to implement it. [25340/99]
Priority Questions. - Primary School Principals.
The report of the working group which I set up last year to examine the rights, roles, duties and responsibilities of principals in primary schools was recently presented to me. The report was wide ranging and its recommendations recognise the importance of implementation being pursued in the context of annual discussions and the relevant industrial relations fora. There is a range of supports in place to assist principals in carrying out their functions. The middle management structures of schools developed in recent years enable the principal to delegate a number of functions to other teachers. In particular, many schools have access to secretarial and caretaking services, and I have recently announced substantial improvements in the level of assistance in these areas.
In recognition of the need to improve the funding of secretaries and caretakers, I recently announced that an additional £2.7 million has been made available to extend support to another 650 schools, with a total enrolment of 90,000 children in the coming year. This represents a significant advance and one which was provided for even before I received the report of the working group. There are various recommendations which impact on the terms and conditions of teachers which should, as envisaged in the report, be pursued through the relevant negotiating fora, particularly as cross-sectoral impacts must be considered.
This Government has demonstrated that it is committed to significantly improving the funding of primary schools. We have already reduced class sizes and removed a large part of the fundraising burden faced by schools. As a result of the spending included in the Book of Estimates published last week, the next school year will see the largest ever increase in indirect funding of primary schools, bringing to 58 per cent the total increase in only three years. These improvements have benefited all schools and helped address important concerns of principals.
I recognise the need for further supports for our primary schools and for principals in fulfilling their roles. However, these can only be introduced in the context of the full range of issues facing primary education and normal industrial relations procedures. I have recently held discussions on these issues and on the implementation of the working group with the partners, particularly the INTO.
I am grateful to the Minister for his information but I have a difficulty about the language used in his reply. Phrases such as "so many schools" or "so many pupils" will have access to a secretarial service does not mean much unless he is speaking about the three tiers of provision. This structure divides schools into those with less than 100 pupils, 100 to 300 pupils, and more than 300 pupils. There is not a secretarial service for schools in the bottom tier. In the middle tier there is £1.50 per student which would provide £1,500 per year for secretarial and administrative assistants. There is also the top tier about which there is a specific recommendation in the report.
A question please, Deputy.
Does the Minister intend to publish the report and to provide the £5.5 million which would implement its major recommendations?
I will publish the report. I thought it was published in the sense that we recently launched it with all the partners. It would cost much more than £5 million to do what we need to do. I have begun the implementation process. I acknowledge the Deputy's comments on the historic deficit in terms of administrative supports for schools and principals. We made a significant move at the beginning of this school year in terms of securing additional funding and we are working on the situation. The Minister for Finance is particularly sympathetic to the issue of administrative supports for all schools and we are pursuing this issue. We are in discussions with the INTO and we will speak to the other partners about the implementation of the recommendations in the report.
The talks are not going so well as to make it unnecessary for significant numbers of teachers to threaten to remove their services for days in the west and the Border areas. Does the Minister propose to withdraw the Department's circular concerning this issue and to replace it with another which will detail the new administrative and secretarial regime which will apply in schools?
No. The meetings began yesterday with a number of Departments.
The report was presented in September.
No, it was sent to me in November, but we would have been aware of the issues. We made a move prior to the report being presented to me in terms of secretaries and caretakers. This was a significant advance on what existed. There was nothing there for years but we are progressing this issue. It is not for me to comment on decisions which others may or may not take over the weekend. However, given our track record on primary education since we took office, we cannot do everything. Rome was not built in a day. We have brought about a major reduction in class sizes and appointed additional teachers, there has been a significant increase in capitation – 58 per cent, significant funding for library books, a massive capital programme for school buildings and so forth. All of this has taken place in less than two budgets. We have made good progress and, sooner rather than later, we will make progress on this issue in consultation with the partners.
The building of Rome never got so much publicity. In view of the fact that the initial commitment was made in 1991 and repeated in the PESP, is the Minister in a position to say that the recommendations of the report will be in place before the conclusion of the new partnership agreement?
I am not in a position to say that every item in the report will be implemented by then, but we will have made significant progress on all the major issues in the report. I will keep the Deputy informed.