asked the Minister for Education the number of classes in national schools with more than twenty-five pupils for each of the years 1950 to 1959.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Classes.
65.
The returns furnished annually by the Managers of National Schools to the Department are not in such a form as would permit of the statistics requested by the Deputy being compiled. Their compilation would involve the obtaining of special returns from all the schools in the country. As this would entail the expenditure of an inordinate amount of time and work on the part of school Managers and the Officers of my Department, I am not satisfied that I would be warranted in arranging for the compilation of the statistics.
I might add that I am not aware of any country which staffs its primary schools on the basis of classes of 25 pupils.
May I ask the Minister, if it were generally agreed, as I think it would be, that classes of more than 25 pupils were evidence of overcrowding and inadequate staffing, is it not desirable that the Minister for Education should be informed of how widespread that practice was so that efforts might be concentrated on those areas to provide superior accommodation?
I have no doubt the Minister for Education is informed generally, and possibly even in a particular way, on this matter, but the statistics requested are not available. One reason given is that numbers on the rolls are classified by standards rather than by particular schoolrooms. Therefore, it would not be possible to get such figures accurately.
Could they not be asked for? If the problem dealt with in the Question exists, it does create quite an educational problem—if, in fact, the classes are as large as is suggested in the Question.
There is no doubt about the existence of the problem, and very concrete steps have been taken and are being taken to remedy it—for example, the provision of additional school buildings and the making available of training facilities for additional teachers, male and female. The problem is being attacked in a very determined way and with, I think, very good results.
Without implying criticism of the Minister, perhaps the Minister for Industry and Commerce —one sometimes forgets he is no longer Minister for Education—would direct the attention of his colleague to the fact that it seems to be desirable in the general interests of education that he should have present to his mind the schools in which the situation referred to in the Question has become chronic so that efforts to correct it by providing better accommodation and more teachers, if necessary, could be concentrated in those areas.
I shall bring the Deputy's suggestion to the notice of the Minister, but I should like to say that there is no suggestion whatever that the situation has become chronic in any instance.
It is in some places outside the city—undoubtedly, it is.
Would the Minister bring to the notice of his colleague, the Minister for Education, that there appears to be a bottle-neck in the Board of Works in relation to the inadequacy of the staff available there for the preparation of suitable plans for the large priority list already in existence?
That bottle-neck has been eased by two appointments since the Deputy's Government left office.
The effects are not to be seen.