Sorca Clarke
Question:66. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the total number of teacher training places available for the year 2023-24; and how many are provided by public colleges and how many by the private sector. [52533/23]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Teacher Training
I am mindful as we are here this morning that this is the first time for education questions since the horrific attack on the students and the care provider in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, on Parnell Square, last week. I place on the record not only my fear as a parent and my revulsion as a public representative but also my hope and my wishes that each and every single one of those affected makes a full recovery. It is important we also take time to commend those who intervened to assist our youngest learners and the person who was charged with their care, putting themselves at risk of great harm. There is no doubt in my mind that this deplorable and awful situation would have been made worse had it not been for the bravery of those individuals who acted so selflessly on that day. Our thoughts continue to be with the school, the students and the wider school community in that area.
What are the total number of teacher training places available for the year 2023-24? How many are provided by public colleges and how many by the private sector?
I know we took the opportunity to do so yesterday at the education committee, but I again offer what I know is the unified solidarity, support and sympathy of the entire House. We are particularly mindful of the children and their carer who were involved in an incident in proximity to a school on Parnell Square. I can confirm for the House that our NEPS psychologists, our school psychologists, have been in the school since the incident occurred. They continue to be there, engaging with senior management and the other staff. Additional support from a staff point of view is being provided for the school. This was an horrific incident that happened, as I said, in proximity to a school. We are very mindful of the trauma it has visited not just on the school community but on the wider community. We send our very best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the children and the carer, especially the child who remains in the care of the hospital. I thank the House for its unified support and commend the school community on the excellent leadership it is showing at a very difficult time.
I thank the Deputy for the question. There are five higher education institutions providing primary initial teacher education in Ireland: four State-funded providers and one private provider. Each of the four primary State-funded providers has both concurrent, or undergraduate, and consecutive, or postgraduate, programmes. These are DCU Institute of Education, Marino Institute of Education, Maynooth University and Mary Immaculate College. Each year, the number of students admitted to primary concurrent and consecutive programmes in State-funded HEIs is determined by the Department, having regard to teacher supply and demand issues and available resources. Hibernia College is a privately owned institution which provides a primary consecutive programme only. The Department has no involvement in setting the numbers for Hibernia.
There are 11 State-funded providers of post-primary initial teacher education in Ireland: DCU, Maynooth, Mary Immaculate College, University College Dublin, the University of Galway, University College Cork, the University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, the Technological University of the Shannon, Atlantic Technological University, which now includes the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and St. Angela's, and the National College of Art and Design. These institutions provide a range of concurrent and consecutive programmes. Hibernia College also provides a post-primary consecutive ITE programme.
Conscious that the professional master of education represents a very significant undertaking for students, I was delighted as part of budget 2024 to announce that a new incentive scheme will be introduced for newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Following engagement with the four State-funded HEIs providing primary initial teacher education, I also approved 610 additional places, with 320 of those approved for 2023 and the remaining 290 in 2024. The new places are as follows: 90 on the bachelor of education programme in 2023 and 2024, making a total of 1,090 each year; 30 additional places on the bachelor of education through the medium of Irish in 2023, making a total of 60 in 2023; and 200 additional places on the professional master of education programme in 2023 and 2024, making a total of 400 each year.
It is about ten years since this cap came in. One of the concerns I have is a report that states that four times as many places are being offered by just one private college and that more than one in three new primary teachers have come from the private market. I understand there can be strategic reasons for limiting the number of teachers trained. However, simply allowing the private sector to take over the training of primary teachers does not serve the public's best interest. In fact, it adds to barriers to those who want to pursue a career in teaching.
I welcome that the technological universities are starting in this area and expanding into it. That is very important because the provision of teacher training for many years was curtailed to certain geographic areas, which was also becoming a barrier for people. We have some of the largest class sizes in Europe. This situation has been described as an absolute crisis. Teacher supply also needs to take into account those needed in the classroom. It is a matter of the availability of teachers, so there should be consideration of those who may be on parental leave or maternity leave.
At post-primary level it is the higher education institute that determines the number of places in accordance with its own available resources and arrangements. A total of 1,650 teachers graduate from these programmes each year. As regards the overall enrolments on the initial teacher education programmes, 2022-23 is the most recent year for which confirmed data is available. There were 4,700 students enrolled in primary programmes and 6,000 students enrolled in post-primary programmes across the State. I understand that Hibernia, a private college, currently has approximately 1,200 students enrolled in primary and 600 at post-primary. This means that, in total, there are approximately 12,500 people currently preparing to become primary and post-primary teachers across the State. The Deputy will see that the very significant bulk of them are coming from the State-funded sector. Equally, as I outlined, the 600 additional places at primary level that were provided for this year are also a significant boost in intake for the primary sector.
I will go back to the balance between public and private providers. We often say that people cannot be what they cannot see. This is particularly the case in the teaching profession. We need to see diversity in our teaching staff. We need to see teachers who adequately reflect their own learners. Where training provision is moving towards being private only or a disproportionate amount of private provision, it creates socioeconomic barriers. Essentially, we are telling people that unless they have cash in the bank, they are not worthy of becoming a teacher. We all know this is true. I do not believe the Minister thinks this is true is but it is the impression given by the Department. There is also an inequality of opportunity issue. Where somebody who wishes to pursue a career in teaching may have previously pursued another career, if the only door open to them is one that comes with a significant fee, they will simply not be able to pursue that career. This is a loss to the State and to the children who would benefit from them.
I thank Deputy Clarke and I appreciate her personal engagement on this issue. More than 10,700 places have been provided by State-funded providers. There are 1,800 places with a private enterprise. With regard to the point made about fees and the difficulties with them, I was very pleased in budget 2024 to announce that, for those taking a postgraduate course in teaching, a bursary of €2,000 will be made available to them. I appreciate what Deputy Clarke has said with regard to students needing to see it so they can be it, and this is referenced consistently in the House. They need to see diversity. We have diversity in our classrooms and we need to see diversity in those who teach and those who work in SNA positions in our classrooms. I commend the excellent work being done by many of the providers. I had the pleasure of attending on two consecutive years the graduation at Marino College of Further Education. Over those years hundreds of students graduated, all from a diversity of backgrounds. This is only a positive in education.
School Staff
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Question:67. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the actions she is taking to alleviate the teacher supply shortage across Irish education in light of a recent survey (details supplied). [52296/23]
I join Deputy Clarke and the Minister in sending our solidarity to the school community of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square. The Minister spoke about the incident last week and I appreciate her efforts. It is a heartbreaking situation. I know the school is traumatised and it will be for quite a period of time. There can be healing and there are no better people to help to heal than teachers and SNAs in a school community that loves its children so much.
My question is on the efforts of the Minister in the area of teacher supply.
I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I acknowledge his personal engagement with me, and the engagement from throughout the House, on the incident on Parnell Square.
Ensuring every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them is a priority. Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate commitment to continued investment in the education system. A professional masters of education incentive scheme, which I referenced earlier, is being introduced as a consequence of budget 2024. Newly qualified teachers who graduate with a PME will, subject to conditions, be eligible for an incentive payment of up to €2,000. This incentive payment will be paid to eligible primary and post-primary teachers in 2025.
Additionally, there will be an expansion in the number of upskilling programmes available. These programmes, which are free to teachers, increase the number of teachers who are qualified to teach in-demand subjects. These new upskilling programmes in Irish, French, politics and society, and computer science will be in addition to existing upskilling programmes in maths, physics and Spanish. An additional 1,000 posts of responsibility are being provided in the school system. This is in recognition that school leaders play a key role in improving educational outcomes by creating a positive school climate and environment as well as motivating and empowering educators and learners within their school communities.
These new measures are in addition to a range of targeted measures introduced in recent times, including, as I mentioned earlier, approving 610 additional places on initial teacher education primary level programmes for 2023-24 and ensuring initial teacher education providers created existing flexibilities that enable student teachers to support schools, either while on placement, or in a substitute capacity. It is worthy of note that in 2023, more than 2,700 student teachers registered with the Teaching Council and provided valuable support to schools as substitute teachers.
We will continue the operation of primary substitute teacher supply panels in 2023-24, with 590 teaching posts allocated to 166 panels covering nearly 3,000 schools. We are encouraging retired teachers to provide substitute cover. A communications campaign was run and it is interesting to note that the number of days covered by retired teachers during this past year increased by 49%. Restrictions on job-sharing teachers and those on a career break from working as substitutes have been lifted.
I do not think many people in the education sector, especially the primary sector, get the sense that the Minister appreciates the scale of the crisis. The INTO, the IPPN and the Catholic Primary School Management Association had a joint survey of primary schools which, as the Minister knows, was published a number of weeks ago. It stated there are 800 vacancies in the primary school system. I visited a school in west Dublin that is operating at 45% capacity. This issue is particularly acute in Dublin. We have to come to the conclusion that much more drastic measures are required. Has the Minister given serious consideration to a Dublin allowance, similar to what has been available in London for the past 100 years? When there was an issue in London with the cost of living and public servants not being able to live and work in London, they found an answer and it worked. Is it time to consider a Dublin allowance for Dublin teachers?
I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I want to be very clear that I do not underestimate the extraordinary challenges, in particular areas, and it is in particular areas, for school leadership to fill posts. There is no doubt about this. We are a country at near full employment. The issues we face in education are reflected in so many other areas, whether it be hospitality, health or wherever. It is important to look back at all of the various initiatives that have been taken. We are not standing still. We are being proactive.
Should post-primary teachers so wish, they are entitled to work an additional 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term. This has provided a significant number of additional hours. Specifically in reference to the Dublin allowance, I acknowledge that whatever we do in terms of a Dublin allowance would also have to be done for other sectors of society. We keep everything under review. I must also say with regard to the salary that would be provided with a Dublin allowance, the London salary is similar to the salary being provided for teachers in this country without a Dublin allowance. It has not necessarily solved the entirety of issues in London either.
I sometimes feel the Department is depending on the fact that schools do not want to speak in their own communities about the crisis they face. It does not give a good look to a school to be speaking about the fact it cannot fill its staff with teachers. I wonder whether the Department is almost depending on this. This doubly disadvantages disadvantaged schools. It disproportionately hurts disadvantaged schools. It also disproportionately hurts children with additional needs because, in a crisis in a school, a principal will make the tough choice of taking a teacher from additional needs education and putting them into a mainstream class.
The Minister's first response referenced an initiative at post-primary level. This is most acute at primary level. The Minister must really have been taken aback when she saw the results of the survey. If a Dublin allowance is not something the Minister thinks can deliver answers, we are all waiting for the answer she does have. So many school classrooms in Dublin and throughout the country, but most acutely in Dublin, do not have teachers or they do not have trained teachers.
I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I reiterate that we are being proactive and very open to working with partners in education for other initiatives. We are open to looking at everything. For example, I record our gratitude to the more than 3,400 trainee teachers who have registered with the Teaching Council and made themselves available for substitute cover in schools. This is a relatively new initiative. There is a significant input and uplift of staff in our schools. We have also introduced other measures. The issue of posts of responsibility is significant. It is consistently raised with regard to encouraging leadership in a school.
I want to be clear about a Dublin allowance. What happens in London has not solved all of the issues there.
The current payment for staff is very similar to what people are getting in London without any additional allowance here. Notwithstanding this, we look at everything, and we are open to looking at everything. It will, however, have an impact on other aspects of society, whether this is in healthcare, An Garda Síochána or whatever the case might be.
School Accommodation
Martin Kenny
Question:68. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Education the status of her Department’s plans to develop a new school campus for a school (details supplied); and the extent of engagement she has had with stakeholders regarding the campus. [52513/23]
I also wish to send my solidarity to the school community in the north inner city of Dublin. The events of last Thursday, where three children and the teacher were so viciously attacked, have gone to the heart of so many people around the country. We all want to send our solidarity and our best wishes to everyone in that community who suffered so much as a consequence of these events. I wish a speedy recovery to those who were the victims of the attack and to the wider school community that has suffered such trauma as a consequence of what happened.
As it happens, this morning I am raising another Scoil Mhuire, in Carrick-on-Shannon. I would like to hear the Minister's position on the development of a new campus for the school. There is a need to get this built as quickly as possible, and I would like to hear about the extent of the engagement the Minister and her Department have had with the staff and management of the school.
Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools, involving the completion of more than 690 school building projects, and with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of in excess of €1.2 billion. We also have 200 modular accommodation projects very well advanced for delivery or at the construction stage. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.
I confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application for a new school building from the school authority in question. The school also made an application under the additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to ensure essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils in the area and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other nearby schools.
As the Deputy may be aware, I met with the school authorities in relation to their ASA application in June 2021. Following this meeting, I directed an official from my planning and building unit's professional and technical section to visit the school. This technical assessment identified certain complexities with the existing school properties, including challenges with access and the topography of the school's two sites.
My Department is currently considering the optimum way forward for the school in question following this technical report. Given the identified complexities with the existing school properties, there is a particular challenge in identifying a solution to the school’s accommodation needs that will support the continued effective operation of the school while presenting a sustainable solution to meet the primary school place needs in the area in the longer term. Demographic trends and capacity at other schools in the area form part of this consideration.
In the first instance, my Department has a focus on any school accommodation provision that may be required in the short to medium term and, in that context, modular accommodation to facilitate two additional classrooms was approved for the school in question in 2022.
I understand that a great deal of investment is going into schools in different areas. This school, however, has not benefited from much of this investment. As the Minister said, this school property is split into two campuses along the Dublin Road. It is on a very inappropriate site for a modern school building that has more than 500 pupils, and this figure is growing. The answer everyone sees from all aspects of this problem, when they look at the situation, is to build a new school on a greenfield site somewhere else. The current site would then become available for housing or other projects in the town. This is the answer to this situation. It must be recognised and done as fast as possible.
I know the Minister met with representatives of the school and that this assessment was carried out. The technical report pointed out where there was asbestos and leaks in the roof. The classroom sizes are tiny for the number of pupils the school is trying to deal with. The teachers and the other school staff are under great stress. We have a situation where there is talk of new modular buildings being constructed, which is welcome, but these are being built on the places where children need to play. This area is now being taken up as well. We must recognise that patching this situation on an ongoing basis is not going to work. There needs to be a plan to build a new school in the town as quickly as possible.
I acknowledge the Deputy's personal engagement on this topic. I acknowledge the public representatives in the area, who have been really active in this space. As the Deputy is aware, following the technical assessment, it is evident there are complexities with the existing school properties. There is a particular challenge to identifying a solution to the school's accommodation needs that will support the effective operation of the school and present a sustainable solution in the long term.
The main focus of the Department’s capital funding over the past decade and for the coming period is on the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics and children with special education needs. The Department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.
The overall position with regard to potential modernisation and replacement of existing infrastructure will be kept under review. For the Deputy's information, the Department has sought a meeting with the school patron to discuss the way forward and a future for this school. The request for this meeting has been lodged with the school patron.
I thank the Minister. It is welcome this has happened. I and Deputy Clarke met with the school board and management a few months ago in regard to this issue. There is a real sense of having been ten years waiting for something to happen and so little progress having been made. If there is going to be a meeting with the patrons, that will be very welcome. I think the local authority has a role to play here as well and would be very open to assisting in any way it can. Sites and land are available on the edge of the town that would be suitable and could be worked into that programme. If a little bit of imagination were to be used, answers could be found that could deliver for everyone and that would work out for everyone, including the patrons, the owner of the present sites, the local authority, which needs land to build houses on, and especially the pupils and the parents. Every morning, there are hundreds of cars lining up along a narrow road trying to let children off to go to school. It is totally inappropriate in the climate we are in. It must also be remembered that many of the children coming to the school are from diverse backgrounds. The children going to that school now come from families from all over the world. We must see a proper school in place as soon as possible.
The Deputy is right. We operate school planning areas. There are 314 of them in the country, and we also have a GIS system that has particular information from the CSO. This is for future planning. We also engage with the local authority, and the Deputy is right that it will be cognisant of where there are existing or, more importantly, where there will be future housing developments. There is strong engagement there.
The indications from the studies of the Carrick-on-Shannon school planning area are that enrolments peaked in 2022, at more than 1,193 pupils. This figure is projected to fall to 1,030 by 2028. Notwithstanding this, I recognise the case being made and the work the school does every single day. I think the next engagement with the patron will be an important one as we seek to find a way forward.
Does the Minister have a date for that?
I just know the request has been lodged with the patron, but I imagine it will be happening fairly speedily.
I thank the Minister.
Education Policy
Gary Gannon
Question:69. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education her priorities, and those of her Department, when considering her call for mobile phones to be banned in primary schools. [53100/23]
I am asking the Minister about her and her Department's priorities when considering her recent call, as opposed to the enactment of legislation, for mobile phones to be banned in primary schools.
As the Deputy is aware, the use of mobile devices and smartphones has increasingly become a part of the daily lives of our children and young people. While this can be a positive experience, we must also consider the potential harm associated with the misuse and-or overuse of these devices and associated social media platforms, particularly for younger children. While smartphone usage is, by and large, well-managed during the primary school day, there are concerns about usage outside of school and the prevalence of online bullying. It is important to note that I am not aware of any of our primary schools where phones are being used during school time. The issue raised with us, and that continues to be raised by parents, concerns not what is happening in the school but what is happening outside school hours.
The well-being of all learners is a key priority of my Department, as well as the empowerment of parents and school communities through education and information. With this in mind, as the Deputy has said, I recently published guidelines for parents called Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free. These guidelines provide practical advice and suggestions to support parents and parents associations wishing to develop voluntary codes regarding smartphone use among primary school children. This initiative seeks to support parents who wish to come together with their school community to explore and agree on the best approach to mediate their children’s engagement with the online world, including adopting a voluntary code for their children to not have a smartphone until a certain time.
We are suggesting that would be after sixth class. Ultimately, the aim of this initiative is to ensure the necessary supports and resources are available to inform and enable parents to support their children to navigate the online world safely and ethically.
The Department is acutely aware of the importance of online safety for children and continues to ensure there are extensive training and curricular supports available to assist schools and our school communities. A key resource in training and the provision of supports is the vital work undertaken by Webwise. Its role is focused on raising awareness of online safety issues and good practice among students and their parents and teachers. The new supports announced earlier this month will bolster the capacity of Webwise to educate and inform and continue to raise awareness.
I thank the Minister for her response. I do not need to diminish the importance placed on online safety for children in primary and secondary school. In the context of the horrific events we have seen in the past week, I wish to reference the area of priorities. As we concern ourselves with what children are viewing online nationally, I cannot step away from what primary school children often witness when they walk outside of the school gates in the inner city and other parts of Dublin and around the country.
In my constituency, too often children walk outside of their school gates and are met by antisocial behaviour, open drug dealing and people in various states of intoxication. Those people have problems and are not to be used as a prop in the Dáil. However, there are issues of safety in general around those schools. I hope the Minister will now take the issue of safety around schools more seriously, engage across Cabinet and come up with a concerted plan to ensure we do not enable a scenario whereby children walk outside of their school gates and see open drug dealing and all sorts of antisocial behaviour. We need to start taking this a lot more seriously.
I thank the Deputy. I want to be very clear at the outset. What happened in Parnell Square, in close proximity to a school, was an unprecedented event. There are 4,000 schools, 1 million pupils and 100,000 school staff in Ireland. They are excellent environments in which children are mentored, minded, guarded and protected. I want to salute and acknowledge the excellent work that happens every single day in our schools. As a consequence of this particular incident, which happened in close proximity to a school, as I have outlined significant supports have been made available through the NEPS teams which have been in the school since the incident happened. They continue to be there and will support the school, staff and students.
Significant funding has been made available through initiatives to Dublin's north inner city in terms of financing initiatives to support the area. I want to be very clear. The incident that occurred was not necessarily an incident related to the school, which is important. By that I mean that the individuals concerned, whether passers-by or the perpetrator of the crime, are not a reflection on the specific area and the very good people who live, work and send their children to the schools or crèches in the area. I want to be very clear. This is not indicative of the people who live and work in that area.
I am sure the Minister does not need to tell me that the incident is not-----
No, and I appreciate that.
I appreciate that. We can also appreciate that in more middle-class and suburban areas of the country, I often find parents campaigning to remove a fast food restaurant from outside of school gates. In the inner city and surrounding areas that I represent, too often over the years I have received calls from parents and members of the school community to remove open drug dealing from outside of the school or vulnerable people in various states of intoxication from outside a school. We have to take this issue seriously.
I strongly encourage the Minister to work across Departments. There has been a massive focus on last week's incident. However, I cannot step away from the fact that members of the school community across Dublin have raised issues regarding open drug dealing outside of school gates and various sorts of antisocial behaviour. The Minister needs to work across the Cabinet to ensure that the schools which have raised those issues in the past - I am sure the incidents are well documented as they have been raised here at different points - now receive a greater sense of urgency and attention.
I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge the excellent engagement from everyone here, including Deputy Gannon, and how supportive and helpful they have been to the local community, including the school community. I recognise in particular Deputy Gannon's personal engagement with me.
On the wider issues the Deputy has raised, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Garda Commissioner have already highlighted a variety of initiatives that have been taken throughout the capital, including an increase in Garda presence and the type of supports that are being made available to gardaí to ensure the environment within the area is as it should be. A significant body of work is being done in that regard. In terms of a cross-agency response, the Department of Education is working with the HSE on the provision of supports for parents. We will continue to do that. There is a multifaceted response.
Given that this question relates specifically to mobile phones, I want to take the opportunity to say we are very conscious of the need for children, in particular, not to use smartphones. We are not saying that young children should not have a phone, but rather that they would not have a smartphone until they have left sixth class because what they carry around in their pocket is not always appropriate for them.
School Facilities
Sorca Clarke
Question:70. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education in relation to school funding, when the minor works scheme payment will be made to schools for the current school year. [52534/23]
My question relates to school funding and when the minor works scheme payment will be made to schools for the current year.
The Department recognises the importance of the minor works grant to primary schools. This funding provides good flexibility at local level to assist schools to manage and undertake works that support the daily operation of the school. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the minor works grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary schools, including special schools.
In recent years, however, the Department’s approach has been to pay the minor works grant to primary schools in advance of the start of the following school year in order to facilitate a better lead-in period for schools over the summer period. A minor works grant of €30 million was paid in April 2023 to primary schools for the current school year. Schools have the autonomy to use this funding for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds. Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular needs.
The works that can be undertaken under the minor works scheme include maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds, improvement or replacement of mechanical and electrical services, the purchase of standard furniture and physical education equipment, the purchase of floor coverings and window blinds, the purchase of IT-related equipment, ventilation improvements and enhancements to outdoor learning environments.
Between 2018 and 2023, in the region of €310 million in minor works and enhanced minor works grants has been allocated to schools. In 2023, summer and emergency works grants to the tune of €80 million have been provided. This includes the additional support in the context of Covid-19 of the payment of an enhanced minor works grant totalling €45 million for primary and special schools, plus a once-off Covid-19 minor works funding of €17 million for post-primary schools. The enhanced minor works grant allowed schools that identified inadequate ventilation in a room to utilise their minor works grant or apply for emergency works grant assistance to address ventilation enhancements where the minor works grant did not cover the full cost of the works required. Currently, the minor works grant payable is a €5,500 basic grant plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil.
I understand the change in the payment date happened in the 2019-20 school year, when the country was in the grip of a pandemic. Without a shadow of a doubt, the minor works grant is second only to teacher shortages in terms of the education queries that come across my desk. The issue causes significant challenges for schools, in particular the payment date. The Minister has said it is paid in April. However, schools have told me that trying to get a tradesperson to carry out work in April is a real challenge because they may have to be booked three or four months in advance. Will the Minister bring the date back towards the end of the year for the upcoming year in order to give schools more opportunity to find a tradesperson?
At the Estimates meeting yesterday, I asked the Minister about the FSSU calendar to next June, which does not have any minor works grants listed on it.
The Minister said it will be provided next year. Are we to take it that the FSSU calendar this year will change as it did in previous years? How will she give confidence to schools, which are trying to budget through a difficult time, that what is on that calendar will be paid when it is due?
I fully understand the importance of the minor works grant. Considerable enhanced payments were made during Covid because we recognised the significance of the minor works grant. Minor works grants for 2023-24 were paid in advance of the school year, in April of this year, to ensure schools would have the lead-in time the Deputy speaks of and in order that works could be done at a quiet time, perhaps over the summer or whatever the case might be. In any event, the payments were given in April of this year.
The funding for 2024-25 will be made available, as I said previously, in due course. The minor works grant is just one element of a record level of capital investment in school infrastructure. Since 2020, we have invested in the region of €3.5 billion to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities throughout the country for the almost 1 million students and more than 100,000 staff who learn and work in our schools every day.
Despite that, we continue to have one of the lowest levels of investment in education in the OECD.
I raised correspondence yesterday at a debate on the Estimates, and while I had not intended to raise it again today, it needs to be addressed. I am not going to mention the school because I do not think that would be fair on it, but I am going to read out part of the email. I ask the Minister to revert to the House with an update on how many schools are in this position. It states that in the current climate with the cost of living, schools such as the one in question are finding it harder and harder to find the money for basics such as light, heat and water. Capitation, it continues, simply does not cover the basic expenses it should, while the cleaning grant it received does not cover the hours required for a cleaner to adequately clean the school. The email states that the school can afford only four hours per day, which is insufficient to maintain a large building and the surrounding grounds. It feels as though it is being punished for not overspending on goods and services and that, at this stage, it would be a gesture of goodwill to retain that funding.
What the school is referring to is the unspent money from the Covid grants. How many schools are in this position? This school is being asked to repay €6,000. I acknowledge it is unspent funding, but will the Minister ascertain how many schools are in this position and work with them to see whether there is a way in which that goodwill gesture the principal asks for can be accommodated?
I do not underestimate the challenges schools face every day but I recognise also that ours is the third highest spending Department in government, which is indicative of the huge priority placed on education by the Government, at more than €10 billion. I acknowledge that last year, additional funding of €90 million was made available to schools from an energy point of view, while €81 million is being made available this year, of which €21 million will go into the core from a capitation point of view in budget 2024.
On the specific question of the moneys that were paid and spent during Covid, not one school is being asked to repay one penny it spent during Covid. This was additional money that recognised that additional demands were being placed on schools, whether in the area of hand sanitiser, personal protective equipment, PPE, or the enhanced minor works grant. Whatever it happened to be, not one penny of that has been requested to be returned. Nevertheless, where schools have money they did not spend under a Covid heading, that is a different issue. If they have unspent money, they are being requested to return it, not money they have spent and used.
I acknowledged it was unspent grant money.