Baineann an rún seo leis na ciorruithe atá ag teacht isteach ar scoileanna beaga le níos lú ná 86 dalta iontu, go háirithe scoileanna Gaeltachta agus scoileanna atá amuigh i gceantair tuaithe. De réir an Rialtais, tá na ciorruithe atá beartaithe ag teacht isteach ó mhí Mheán Fómhair 2012. Níl aon dabht ann ach gur buile marfach é seo ar scoileanna tuaithe agus scoileanna Gaeltachta. I mo cheantar féin, beidh 45 bunscoileanna buailte de thoradh an chinnidh seo. Tá 128 bunscoileanna sna Gaeltachtaí agus beidh 95 de na bunscoil-eanna sin buailte de thoradh an chinnidh seo. Droch chinneadh atá ann mar chruthóidh sé fadhbanna ollmhór i scoileanna Gaeltachta. Cuirfidh sé le líon na ndaltaí a bheidh le múineadh ag múinteoirí i mbunscoileanna beaga. Freisin, cuirfidh sé go huile agus go hiomlán in éadan na straitéise 20 bliain don Ghaeilge atá foilsithe agus aontaithe ag an Rialtas.
Chomh maith leis sin, cuirfidh na ciorruithe i gcoinne an tuarascáil teangeolaíochta ar úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht don 20 bliain amach romhainn agus na spriocanna a bhí ansin. Is léir ón tuarascáil nach bhfuil ach 20 bliain ar a mhéid fágtha ag na ceantair is láidre Gaeltachta leis an Ghaeilge a choinneáil mar theanga an phobail. Má leanann an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna ar aghaidh leis na moltaí seo, beidh an Ghaeilge faoi níos mó brú agus gheobhaidh sí bás i bhfad níos luaithe ná an 20 bliain luaite sa tuarascáil. Caithfidh an Rialtas éisteacht le tuismitheoirí agus scoileanna agus tarraingt siar ón moladh seo, mar is beag airgid a bheidh le sábháil. Tá infreastruchtúr maith ag na scoileanna, múineadh iontach maith á chur ar fáil agus an Ghaeilge á chur chun cinn iontu agus sa phobal mór thimpeall orthu. B'fhiú don Rialtas tarraingt siar.
This issue relates to the decision by the Minister for Education and Skills on small schools, defined as schools with fewer than 86 pupils. The decision was taken by the Minister in the budget to try to, as he said, cut down on the expenditure, without even waiting for the efficiency and value for money review, which is being complied by the Department, to be published. The Minister made a decision to proceed with a policy decision without having first consulted or published the value for money review which was undertaken in consultation with boards of management and principals throughout the country. Why would the Minister consult principal teachers, gather all of the necessary data and then not take it into account when making a conscious decision to attack small rural schools with fewer than 86 pupils?
The schools concerned provide excellent educational opportunities to children of primary school age. It is regrettable that the Minister for Education and Skills proceeded with implementing a cost-cutting exercise on small schools only. What he is in effect doing is targeting small schools in a blatant way to force them to amalgamate or close by raising the pupil-teacher ratio in such schools only, without affecting larger schools. This will inevitably result in a loss of teachers, which will mean larger classes, and a greater number of class groupings having to be taught by one teacher. Taking into consideration all of the paperwork and preparations teachers must do, larger numbers of children with special needs will also be in one classroom with the resulting attendant difficulties which this will inflict on smaller schools. It is also unfair to children with special needs. The measure will bring about closures, amalgamations and the loss of teaching posts within schools.
While the Department is not blatantly saying that it wants to force schools to amalgamate, without question it is doing it by stealth by trying to reduce the number of teachers and make it nearly impossible for small schools to survive, thus forcing them into a situation where they must amalgamate. This is occurring in the North of Ireland where the Minister of Education, Mr. O'Dowd, is forcing schools of fewer than 105 pupils to amalgamate. Why is the Minister for Education and Skills in this Republic following that protocol before a value for money review is published?
I contacted the Minister for Education and Skills and received numerous letters from him on specific queries relating to my constituency. In recent days I received a letter from him referring to the fact that "the phasing of these measures provides the schools concerned with the time to consider the potential for amalgamation with other schools where this is feasible". It is totally ludicrous to ask schools that have invested resources and capital through taxpayers' investment to bring schools up to standard only to close them down. That is unacceptable. The Department is asking the boards of management to make the decision rather than making the decision itself. The Minister continued in the letter to state: "The existing staffing model also acts as a disincentive for small schools to consider amalgamation". Of course it does. That is why we are happy with the existing staffing model. It may not be perfect but at least it allows small, rural schools the opportunity to remain open.
When Fianna Fáil came into government in 1997 one of the first things that was done was that the staffing retention for small schools was reduced from 24 pupils down to 12. We stand by that. We cannot allow the Minister to proceed as outlined. I plead with the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, a member of the Fine Gael Party, to exercise pressure on the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, because the implication for small rural schools of this draconian measure which was introduced without consultation will be to close down many parts of rural areas. That will result in children travelling to schools way beyond their reach. In addition, it will be almost impossible for many children to avail of school transport next year given the increase in school transport costs.
There are many reasons for the proposed changes to be reversed. The Minister should listen to the schools and communities and reverse the decision immediately because the cost saving to be achieved is minimal. It is not about saving money; it is about seeking to amalgamate schools and to make it easier to streamline the process. That is not the right way to proceed.
