Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2013
11. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a Millward Brown survey that found that in addition to losing classroom subject teachers, many schools have also lost specialist teachers and that 40% of schools have lost learning support/resource teaching hours, while 37% have lost English-language support teaching hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17567/13]
View answerI acknowledge the challenges faced by schools in managing the overall impact on teacher allocation to schools as a result of budgetary measures over the last 4 years. In the most recent budget the Government confined such measures to the fee-charging sector and protected schools in the free scheme from any changes in pupil-teacher ratios. It is also worth noting that, unlike almost all other parts of the public sector, up to 900 additional teachers are being recruited this year to accommodate the demographic growth in our primary and secondary schools. To put the survey quoted by the Deputy in a wider context, total teacher numbers at post-primary level in the coming school year are expected to be less than 2% below 2008 levels although I do acknowledge that pupil numbers will be just over 7% higher. All public servants are being asked to do more with less and teachers in our schools, although better sheltered than other sectors, cannot be immune from this requirement.
Each school is required to manage its subject provision from within its approved allocation from the Department. If a school has particular short-term issues in relation to managing its subject provision there are standard arrangements in place for considering applications for some limited short term support.
