Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 July 2014
216. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of reversing the cuts to guidance counselling in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32163/14]
View answerThis budget measure involved savings of the order of €30m per annum. My predecessor has already made clear that there is no scope to reverse this budget measure. Since September 2012 guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. In this way principals have discretion to balance guidance needs with the pressures to provide subject choice. A framework document was published jointly by the Post Primary Management bodies and the NAPD (National Association of Principals & Deputies) in September, 2012 to provide guidance for school management in the allocation of teaching hours to guidance counselling in post-primary schools in the context of the decision in Budget 2012 to withdraw the provision of ex-quota guidance hours to schools. This should be of assistance to schools in terms of how they maximise guidance provision. My Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations. All 195 second-level school in DEIS have been given targeted support by a more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1. This is a 0.75 point reduction compared to the existing PTR of 19:1 that applies in non fee-paying second-level schools (23:1 in fee-charging schools).
