Tairgim:
Go ndeonófar suim nach mó ná £1,667,000 chun íoctha an mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31ú lá de Mhárta, 1969, le haghaidh Tuarastail agus Costais Oifig an Aire Oideachais (lena n-áirítear Forais Eolaíochta agus Ealaíon), le haghaidh Seirbhísí Ilghnéitheacha áirithe Oideachais agus Cultúir, agus chun Ildeontais-i-gCabhair a íoc.
Is maith liom an seans a thugann tabhairt isteach na Meastachán so dom chun cur síos a dhéanamh ar an ndul chun cinn atá déanta againn i gcúrsaí oideachais le bliain anuas. Ní ag maoímh atáim nuair a thráchtaim ar dhul chun cinn. Go fírinneach d'féadfainn a rá go raibh iarracht de réabhlóid ag baint le himeachtaí na bliana. Ní raibh aon ghné den oideachas nár thárla borradh agus fás faoi. Ceann de na rudaí a chuidigh leis sin ar bhealach amháin agus a shíolraigh uaidh ar bhealach eile sea an tslí ina bhfuil suim an phobail múscailte. Is ábhar nuaíochta beagnach gach lá den tseachtain gné éigin den oideachas. An fhaid is atá an scéal amhlaidh, is mór an spreagadh é do thuismitheoirí féachaint chuige go dtabharfaidh siad seans dá bpáisti nach bhfuair a lán acu féin. Ni amháin go raghaidh sé sin chun leasa do na páistí ach go raghaidh sé chun tairbhe don náisiún ar fad.
Tá an lá sroiste againn ina bhféadfaidh an scoláire atá sáthach meabhrach dul suas go dtí barr an dreimire. Dhá phríomh rud a thug é sin chun críche—an scéim saor-oideachais agus an scéim deontas le haghaidh ard-oideachais. Is maith liom gur thárla an seans agam-sa lámh a bheith agam i sroisint na céime seo. Anois bhéarfaidh mé mioneolas don Teach i dtaobh na seirbhísí go bhfuilim-se freagarthach astu.
The total provision in the seven Votes for which I am responsible is £49,090,000. This represents an increase of £8,103,480 in the provision for the previous financial year in the original and Supplementary Estimates. A further sum of £3,000,000 is being provided under Vote 8 (Public Works and Buildings) for the building of new national schools and the enlargement and improvement of existing schools. The extent to which we are now devoting our resources to education can be gauged from the fact that in 1957/58 the total expenditure was less than £16,000,000. I shall now proceed to the various Votes and give some facts and figures.
Vote 27—Office of the Minister for Education—includes (a) the administration costs of the Department, and (b) the provision for the services which formerly appeared in what was a separate Science and Art Vote. At £1,667,000 this year's Estimate shows an increase of £193,490 on the amount for last year.
The main portion of that increase is accounted for by:—
(i) provision for the additional staff necessitated by the extension of educational services and the normal incremental progression;
(ii) the increase in travelling costs and incidental expenses;
(iii) the provision of an additional £10,000 for educational research;
(iv) an increase of £22,500 in the amount provided for scholarships and for scientific research grants;
(v) the provision of an additional £30,350 for publications in Irish.
Deputies will note that a sum of £3,000 was included in this Vote as a grant towards the cost of holding the World Conference of Organisations of the Teaching Profession in Dublin. I refer to this in order to pay tribute particularly to the Irish National Teachers' Organisation for the major part it played in organising this Conference. The excellent manner in which the Conference was organised was not only a credit to the INTO but brought honour to the country. I know that messages of appreciation have been received from delegates from many parts of the world. Incidentally I would like to congratulate the INTO on having attained its centenary. The contribution which the national teachers have made not only to the education of our children but to every facet of Irish life deserves our highest commendation.
With the permission of the House, I propose to take, together with Vote 27, a Supplementary Estimate for a sum of £6,000 to be provided for the National Museum in a new subhead F.4, entitled "Special exhibitions (Grant-in-Aid)". The amount to be provided this year under this subhead represents the balance of the cost of the Rosc Exhibition which was held in the National Museum and in the premises of the Royal Dublin Society in 1967.
The net provision for primary education (Vote 28) in 1968/69 is £20,857,000, which is £520,500 above last year's total Estimate. The main increases fall under about half-a-dozen subheads, but before dealing with these in detail it might be well to look at some general statistics of primary education.
The number of pupils on the rolls on 30th June, 1967, was approximately 510,000 as compared with about 506,000 on the corresponding date in 1966. The number of qualified teachers also shows an increase of 71, to 14,683. On the other hand, the number of schools is reduced by a further 112 to 4,685, and this shows the results of the implementation of the policy of closing small schools. These are the broad statistics, and I will return to certain aspects of them later when discussing specific subheads of the Vote.
As I have indicated, the net provision shows an increase of about half-a-million pounds over 1967/68. In last year's Vote, however, subhead A.1 included capital provisions of nearly £500,000, principally for an extension to St. Patrick's Training College, Drumcondra, and for the State's direct share of the cost of building the new Church of Ireland Training College at Rathmines. The extension to St. Patrick's Training College has been completed and only a small capital commitment remains outstanding; likewise, the capital commitment for the new Church of Ireland College has been discharged. Accordingly, this subhead shows a decrease of £397,000. When allowance is made for this, the real increase for the other services covered by the Vote is about £900,000.
The provision made for the Preparatory College for Protestant pupils, under subhead A.3, shows a reduction of £10,340. This reduction marks the end of the preparatory colleges system. As Deputies are aware, the Catholic preparatory colleges have been closed for some years, but Coláiste Mobhí for Protestant pupils continued to operate. This college, too, will be closed at the end of the present school year. Following discussions with the appropriate authorities, it was decided that the recruitment of teachers for Protestant schools would best be carried out by establishing a junior section in the new Church of Ireland Training College in Rathmines. Students will be recruited to the junior section from the Intermediate Certificate, and they will take a two-year course for the Leaving Certificate there before proceeding to training as national teachers.
The end of another feature of our primary school system is marked by the reduction of £21,300 under subhead B for examinations. The abolition of the primary certificate examination has been generally welcomed. In its place, record cards will be kept in respect of each pupil in fifth and sixth standards; the cards will contain information about the pupil's background and special interests and aptitudes in addition to the teacher's assessment of attainment in the different subjects. The card will be forwarded to the school to which the pupil transfers, and will give a much more complete picture of the pupil and his attainments and potential than was possible heretofore. The information on the card will be of particular value when teachers are asked to advise parents on the choice of further schooling for pupils. It is my intention also to introduce in the coming school-year a progress card which will be sent to each parent of children in second class and upwards; this will keep parents continuously informed of how their children are progressing from year to year and will pinpoint for them any problems they may wish to take up with their children's teachers. It is clear that teachers will be called upon to exercise their full professional judgment in operating this new system. I am confident of their full co-operation in making the scheme a success and in assisting parents in making the best choice for their children.
Turning now to the principal increases in the Vote, subhead C. (Teachers' Salaries, etc.) and subhead D. (Superannuation) account for increases of £480,000 and £141,500, respectively. The latter increase does not call for any special comment. As for teachers' salaries, etc., the increase arises mainly from normal salary and incremental increases. The subhead does not contain any provision for changes in national teachers' salaries that may arise from decisions on the recent report of the Tribunal on Teachers' Salaries.
Part of the increase under subhead C.I is due, however, to an increase in the number of teachers. As already noted, the number of qualified teachers on 30th June, 1967—14,683—showed an increase of 71 over the corresponding date in 1966. Over the last ten years the number of teachers in our national schools has increased by well over 1,000. We continue to train more teachers—585 a year—than are needed for normal replacements, and this enables the staffing position to be steadily improved. We have still some way to go to secure the best distribution of our teaching manpower, and we are in no way satisfied with the size of classes in the larger city schools. However, we are continuously improving the position, and I am pleased to announce that in the coming school-year the figures of average enrolments for the appointment and retention of the eighth to the fifteenth assistant will be reduced. The rate of reduction will vary, but at the most favourable point the reduction will be as much as 25 units.
The next largest increase in the Vote comes under subhead C.3, Transport Services, for which the provision is increased by £112,700 to the figure of £269,000. Most of this increase arises from the implementation of the policy of amalgamating small schools into larger units; as you know, when a school is closed, free transport is provided to the central school. We are pressing ahead with this policy and the number of closings to date is 474. The merits of the policy are being realised more and more, but, unfortunately, there are still cases where the closing of a small school is opposed. Sometimes approaches are made to Deputies from every side of the House to lend support and encouragement to this opposition. Now, I do not propose to argue again here the case for the closing of small schools—for me, the case is proved beyond all doubt. But I will ask Deputies to consider the two broad alternatives. On the one hand, sentiment and tradition seek to continue the small school with its restricted curriculum and its overworked teacher—the inheritance from another age and an alien government. On the other hand, our policy, framed by us for our own children, offers better teaching, a more varied curriculum, better preparation for the new educational opportunities available in the post-primary school, the prospect of more regular attendance, supervised and free transport. Only one question need be put: which alternative holds the greater advantage for the child? I need not point the answer, but I would appeal to Deputies to refrain from encouraging the controversy that occasionally arises when we propose to close a small school; by lending their support to opposition they are confusing parents whose real need is reasoned guidance and encouragement to seize these new educational opportunities for their children.
The third main increase occurs under subhead C.6 (Grants towards the heating, cleaning and painting of national schools). The increase is £110,000 and relates entirely to grants for heating and cleaning. Broadly speaking, the increase represents a 50 per cent improvement in the provision for these services.
I may also refer here to the building and improvement of national schools, although provision therefor is not made in this Vote. I am glad to be able to report that the work of replacing and improving schools continues at a satisfactory rate. In the financial year 1967/68, 65 new schools were built and major improvements and extensions were carried out in 205 others. On 31 March last 91 new schools were in course of erection and 62 others were undergoing extension or major improvement. Expenditure on building works in the last financial year amounted to £2,820,000 approximately, and in addition grants totalling almost £49,000 were made for painting works.
We still have many unsuitable schools, but real progress has been made with their replacement by modern buildings. In 1967/68 we provided over 15,000 places in new schools and over 11,000 under major improvement or enlargement schemes, that is a total of over 26,000 places in new or improved accommodation. To meet normal replacements we would need only 6,000 places per year; accordingly, we are tackling the backlog of unsuitable schools at the rate of about 20,000 places a year.
In the last year we have also begun to tackle the problem of the unsatisfactory heating and sanitary facilities in many of our schools. Managers were empowered in a circular letter issued last September to undertake, with the minimum of formalities, the installation of heating and sanitary systems, where these were a matter of urgency, in schools likely to continue in operation for at least five years. In several cases the response has been very good. I should like to thank managers who have availed themselves of the authority delegated to them, and I hope that many more will do so in the coming year.
To return now to the Vote for Primary Education, the final large increase arises under subhead C.7, grants towards the cost of free school books for necessitous children. Provision in 1968/69 is £87,000 as compared with only £6,000 last year. The increase marks the introduction of a new scheme for this purpose. The scheme will include children from second standard to sixth, for whom the provision is £72,000, and pupils in secondary tops, for whom the provision is £15,000. The scheme was formulated after a realistic estimate of requirements based on a survey carried out through the schools. We are keeping the scheme simple; it will be administered by the principal teachers, to whom I am indebted for their co-operation, and parents will not have to submit to formal inquiries as to their means. It is estimated that about 70,000 children, or about 25 per cent of the enrolment of children in second to sixth standards will benefit, and a similar percentage of pupils in secondary tops.
I have touched upon the main changes in the Vote, but these do not reveal all that is happening in relation to national schools. A working document involving a completely revised curriculum for national schools has been submitted to and is at present being considered by the various managerial and teaching associations. The special needs of handicapped children, the physically, the mentally, the culturally handicapped, are receiving special attention, and I hope to be in a position during the coming twelve months to be able to make further improvements in the educational provisions for such children.
In the last year or two, the pace of educational innovation may seem to have passed by primary education. But let me assure the House that in this sector of education, no less than in any other, the country's new needs are not being overlooked and that in primary education also there are new and challenging prospects.
Vote 29 deals with secondary education. The net amount being provided is £14,487,000, an increase of £4,088,000 on the total provided last year in the original and Supplementary Estimates. The principal headings under which the increase occurs are supplemental grants to schools in lieu of tuition fees, building grants to secondary schools, transport services, teachers' salaries, capitation grants, science and equipment grants and capital expenditure on comprehensive schools.
Pupil numbers in secondary schools in the school-year 1967-68 showed an increase of 15,000 on the previous year's figure—about three times the previous annual rate of increase. A similar increase in enrolments has occurred this year. Returns are not yet complete but from the figures received to date I expect student numbers in secondary schools this year to be approximately 133,000 or about 14,000 more than last year. These increased numbers reflect not only a large influx of new pupils but also a reduction in the rate of drop-out of pupils throughout the span of the secondary school course.
Almost all these additional pupils are in schools participating in the free scheme and the normal minimum rate of supplemental grant under the scheme is increased to £20 per pupil in the current school-year. Last year's provision, in a total sum of £568,000, represented one-third of the grants in respect of the school-year 1967-68 but it is necessary now to provide for a full year's cost, made up of the remaining two-thirds in respect of the last school-year and one-third of the grants payable in respect of the school-year 1968-69. An increase of £1,327,000 is necessary to provide for this.
The expansion in pupil numbers is reflected in the increase of £226,000 in the provision for capitation grants as compared with last year, and the cost of free books and accessories for necessitous pupils also shows an increase (amounting to £19,000) on last year's provision.
In regard to secondary school building, recent surveys carried out by my Department indicate that with the advent of the free education scheme and free transport scheme, 60,000 new pupil places will be required in post-primary schools within the next decade. The provision of these places will involve an expenditure of the order of £23,000,000. Replacement of unsatisfactory buildings, provision of specialist facilities generally and furnishing and equipping will add very considerably to this expenditure. Current applications for secondary school building alone amount to over £20,000,000.
The projected post-primary school building programme, both in relation to rate and size of investment and the number of places and new facilities which must be provided, is unprecedented. To deal with this programme a Post-primary Building Unit has recently been established in my Department. It will have general responsibility for development and planning in school building.
This year we are providing £2,500,000 in capital grants for secondary school building, an increase of £1,000,000 on last year's allocation. The total cost of secondary school building may now be financed by the State, 70 per cent by way of direct grant and 30 per cent by way of loan repayable over 15 years.
The number of registered teachers in receipt of incremental salary in 1967-68 was 4,838 as compared with 4,461 in 1966-67. In addition there were 521 teachers in receipt of the special supplementary allowance for probationer teachers in 1967-68. The provision for these salaries and allowances is £375,000 more than last year's figure.
The amended scheme of grants introduced last year for furnishing and equipping science laboratories and special classrooms for practical subjects is expected to be more widely availed of in the school-year 1968-69, since the expansion in the teaching of such subjects and the demands of new syllabuses will necessitate the furnishing and equipping of many new special classrooms and the renewal and replacement of equipment on a substantial scale. I am providing, therefore, for an increase of £190,000 in expenditure on these grants.
Vocational education is covered in Vote 30. The net sum being sought for the vocational education service is £5,790,000, which represents an increase of £1,054,990. Apart from this £1,500,000 has been earmarked in the Local Loans Fund for vocational school building.
The main reasons for seeking this increase are firstly to enable vocational education committees to meet the additional cost arising out of the provision of free whole-time day courses of vocational education for all pupils who were eligible for enrolment in post-primary schools and who elected to enrol in vocational schools and secondly to provide for the capital costs and also some initial running costs of regional technical colleges.
As a result of the introduction of the scheme of free education the increase in numbers seeking enrolment in vocational schools in the current academic year has necessitated the provision of further additional classroom accommodation and teaching equipment and the recruitment of a large number of extra teachers. I am happy to inform the House that the operation of the scheme has been entirely successful and I should like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the vocational education committees and all their staffs for their great efforts in this matter.
The Government have agreed to make £7,000,000 available for the building of the nine regional technical colleges and have also decided that this sum will come direct from State funds, i.e., the local rates will not have to bear any part of the cost. It is hoped that six of the colleges will be partly operational by September, 1969.
In the meantime it will be necessary to recruit certain supervisory staff (a principal and some heads of divisions at any rate) to undertake the major educational and administrative planning work which must be completed before the colleges open. In addition it will be necessary to recruit a small number of higher technological teachers who will be given further training prior to the opening of the colleges.
A word about the government of these colleges might not be out of place. I should explain that there will be a college council for each college. This council will be composed of representatives of the local authorities, of industry, of the trade unions, of the teachers' association, of the Bishop of the diocese and of my Department. The day-to-day management of each college will be conducted by a small management committee subject to the authority of the college council.
The grant-in-aid to Macra na Tuaithe has been increased from £4,800 to £8,800 to enable Macra to introduce a new regional organisational development plan, and to intensify and expand the programme for the training of leaders.
A new system of procedure for the appointment of permanent whole-time vocational teachers was operated on an experimental basis in the academic year 1967-68. The new system worked very successfully and it has been agreed to continue to operate the scheme on exactly the same lines in future.
Reformatory and industrial schools are dealt with in Vote 31. The amount sought under this Vote for the financial year 1968-69 is £234,000—an increase of £14,500 on that for the year 1967-68. This increase is due to the rise of 15s per pupil per week in the rate of maintenance grants payable to the schools, the increase being borne in equal parts by the State and the local authorities.
The weekly rates of maintenance grants payable in respect of each child are:
|
By the State |
By the Local Authorities |
|
|
Reformatory Schools |
45/- |
40/6 to 41/6 |
|
Industrial Schools |
42/6 |
40/- |
At the end of 1967 there were 124 boys and 28 girls in the reformatories as compared with 118 boys and 27 girls at the end of 1966. The decline in the numbers in the industrial schools continues, there being 1,006 boys and 942 girls in these schools at the end of 1967 as compared with 1,120 boys and 1,089 girls at the end of 1966.
In the large majority of the schools the children attend national schools attended also by children of the locality.
Vote 32 relates to Universities and Colleges and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. There is a net increase of £2,220,400 in 1968/69 over the previous year in the provision for Universities and Colleges, the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and Grants-in-Aid to Maynooth College, the College of Surgeons, the Dublin Dental Hospital, the Cork Hospitals' Board and the College of Pharmacy.
In the case of the recurrent grant to the three Colleges of the National University and Trinity College the total increase over 1967/68 is £695,000. This increase is related to the necessary expansion in staff to cater for the growth in student numbers attending the Colleges. In 1967/68 the total number of full-time students was approximately 15,900, an increase of 321 over the previous year.
On the capital side £1,600,000 is being provided for University College, Dublin in connection with the erection of new buildings for Arts and Administration, and a Library and Refectory. It is intended that all these buildings will be completed in time for the opening of the College session commencing in October, 1969. The Arts block which will provide accommodation for 5,000—6,000 students is estimated to cost £2,300,000. The estimated costs of the Library and Refectory are £500,000 and £450,000, respectively.
Work on the erection at University College, Cork, of a new building for physics, chemistry, mathematical science and a science library is proceeding according to schedule. The total estimated cost of the project is over £1,600,000 and it is hoped to complete the main building by September, 1969.
The authorities of University College, Galway, have been authorised to proceed with the preparation of a design and sketch plans for the provision of a new science block at University College, Galway at a cost of £1,750,000.
The grant to Maynooth College is being increased by £20,000, that to the Dublin Dental Hospital by £21,300, the College of Pharmacy grant by £5,000 and the grant to the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies by £22,440.
In accordance with the Government's previously declared intention to establish a permanent authority to deal with the financial and organisational problems of higher education, such an authority was set up, on an ad hoc basis, in August last. This body, which is styled the Higher Education Authority will be given statutory status in due course. I feel that it might be well to repeat the terms of reference of this authority for the information of the House:—
(a) examine the existing provision for higher education with a view to making recommendations to the Minister for Education on the necessity for the existing provision and on the elimination of unnecessary duplication;
(b) examine budgets prepared by higher education institutions and plans for development and advise the Minister thereon;
(c) advise the Minister as to the allocation between the institutions concerned of the funds made available by the Government for higher education purposes;
(d) arrange for the placement of students;
(e) maintain a continual review of the country's needs in higher education;
(f) advise on higher education matters referred to it by the Minister or other appropriate bodies;
(g) conduct inquiries and initiate and publish studies on problems of higher education;
(h) arrange for as much uniformity as possible in the system of grading of university staff in the country, the system of appointment to academic university posts, the procedure for the fixing of conditions of service and tenure of such posts and of superannuation benefits for academic and administrative staff, the implementation of a system of mobility of staff members between the universities and between universities and other institutions of higher education and research, and the correlation of salary scales for university staffs;
(i) make regulations governing the form in which each institution will present its annual budgets and accounts to the Authority;
(j) endeavour generally to further the development of higher education and to promote a knowledge of its value to the country.
The Authority has as its interim assignment, the task of advising me on the nature and form of the legislation which will be required in order to implement the Government's decisions on higher education as contained in the announcement of the 6th July last.
It was a matter of satisfaction to me that no person who was invited to serve on this Authority declined the invitation. The public spirit shown by this group of persons, every one of whom is eminent in his or her own sphere, is very much to be admired.
The National Gallery is included in Vote 33. The amount being provided, £42,900, shows an increase of £11,600 in the sum for 1967/68. The bulk of this additional expenditure is related to the improvement in the staffing of the Gallery. The Members of the House are no doubt aware that a major extension to the Gallery was opened recently. This extension cost about £420,000. When it came to providing the money the Government resisted any temptation there may have been to take it from the funds amassed under the Shaw bequest. All the money in this fund will be spent in enhancing the collections in the Gallery. We have now in Dublin one of the major European Galleries. It is there for the benefit of all our people and I hope that the general public will co-operate to the fullest degree with the Director in his efforts to popularise the Gallery.
Having dealt with the various Votes I should like to speak of some general educational developments.
First I might refer briefly to the working of the scheme for free education. This scheme has been in operation for a year and in that time has been most successful. An additional 18,000 pupils were enrolled in post-primary schools compared with the previous 5,000 per annum. Sufficient teachers and accommodation were made available to meet this abnormal demand. No child was turned away from a post-primary school because of lack of accommodation or shortage of teachers. Within a period of nine months 56,500 pupils, that is all pupils eligible, were being transported free to a post-primary school. Some 30 per cent of post-primary pupils are in receipt of assistance towards the purchase of school books and accessories. The scheme for free post-primary education has removed the two main causes of low participation—social group and geographical location. No longer can it be said that any child is denied access to post-primary education because his parents could not afford it or because he lived too far from the nearest school.
I propose to press ahead with the policy of building larger post-primary school units capable of providing facilities and courses which will cater for the interests and aptitudes of all the pupils. The provision of a comprehensive curriculum embracing a wide range of options and the more sophisticated nature of the new courses generally but particularly at Leaving Certificate level necessarily involve larger school units if adequate facilities and staff are to be provided on any reasonably rational basis. A proliferation of small schools relatively close to one another was understandable in the past when pupil mobility was virtually impossible due to transport difficulties and costs. With developments in modern transport and the introduction of the free transport scheme, these considerations no longer prevent us from providing real equality of educational opportunity for all pupils.
This must entail the closure of small schools with inadequate facilities and the cancentration of pupils in larger centres. I can readily understand the reluctance of any small community to lose its school, however inadequate it may be, but equally I am convinced that the most important consideration is the welfare of the child and the providing for him of the same opportunity as the children have in larger centres. All educational authorities are agreed that the day of the small school is over and any person who seeks to prolong it is doing an educational disservice to the community and in particular to the children of the community.
I want to see as much co-operation as possible between post-primary schools. In order to provide an education structured to the needs of individual students, co-operation between all schools will be essential so that the combined resources—teaching and physical facilities—may be made available for all the pupils of an area. This sharing of facilities and closer links between schools is in our present situation the most practical way of approaching comprehensive education in most parts of the country.
In addition to the three comprehensive schools already established in Cootehill, Carraroe and Shannon, a fourth comprehensive school was opened in Glenties, County Donegal, last month. Plans are in hands for the erection of a new comprehensive school with accommodation for about 500 Protestant pupils at Raphoe, County Donegal. It is also proposed to erect comprehensive schools at Ballymun, Dublin, with accommodation for approximately 750 boys and 750 girls in the junior cycle and 500 boys and girls in the senior cycle. It is expected that these schools will be available for the reception of students in September, 1969.
Before proceeding further I would like to tell the House of certain changes in the educational structure at post-primary level. First, at Intermediate Certificate level it is proposed to introduce oral assessment as part of the examination in the language subjects and practical tests in the science subjects. At the Leaving Certificate level we—and by we I mean my Department in conjunction with the school associations—are revising the courses in all the subjects of the curriculum. This total revision is a consequence of the revision already carried out on the Intermediate Certificate courses. Moreover, I am introducing on a voluntary basis from 1969 subject groupings at the Leaving Certificate stage. The purpose of the grouping is to introduce a limited degree of concentration into the student's course. There are five groups—the language group, the science group, the applied science group, the business studies group and the social studies group. From 1969 each student will take as part of his course at least three subjects from one particular group. This means that he will devote about 12 hours a week out of a total of 28 hours to related subjects.
In addition to the two-year course for the Leaving Certificate I propose to introduce from 1971 an additional course covering one extra year and leading to the Advanced Certificate. I see this course as a specialised course in which the student will concentrate on not more than four subjects so that he will be enabled to study these subjects in some depth. I do not propose to have any regulation bar to entry to the third-year course. The course will be demanding and I am leaving it to good sense and school counselling to decide as to the students who will proceed to this course.
Finally, at both Intermediate Certificate and Leaving Certificate Examinations I have, with the approval of the Government, discontinued the classification Honours, Pass, Failure with effect from 1969 and have replaced these classifications by a graded results system. Each grade will represent a percentage range as follows:
|
Grade A |
85-100% |
|
Grade B |
70-84% |
|
Grade C |
55-69% |
|
Grade D |
40-54% |
|
Grade E |
25-39% |
|
Grade F |
10-24% |
The new grading system has two significant features: it will focus attention on the high-scoring candidate and it will give credit, rather than brand as failure, to the less bright candidate who performs to the limit of his ability.
The Department's psychological service has established the nucleus of a guidance service in the comprehensive schools and in secondary schools which offer comprehensive facilities. The service is being extended by the recruitment of additional educational psychologists, and will be available for all post-primary schools eventually. The junior cycle of the post-primary school, that is up to the Intermediate Certificate examination, will be a period of observation of the pupils' progress, achievement and aptitudes. This is the period during which pupils will be prepared for the educational and vocational choices they will have to make at about the age of 15 years. The picture which I should like to see evolving is one of a wide degree of choice and educational exposure up to Intermediate Certificate level with a trained corps of guidance teachers operating under the aegis of my Department and providing advice and assistance to parents and pupils.
The comprehensive programme of education to which I have already referred is designed to give this wide choice of subjects to the pupils. I have now arranged for the giving of instruction to selected teachers from post-primary schools in pupil guidance. This will be done by way of a series of summer courses and subsequent on-the-job training. The first summer course for about 30 teachers took place this year. In the coming year it is hoped to train over 60 teachers annually. The guidance service will be organised as a two-tier service, the first tier, in the school, being provided by the member of the school staff selected by the school for the purpose and the second tier by a member of the Department's psychological service who will feed into the teachers on the school staff.
A full-time audio-visual aids officer has recently been appointed in the Department and an audio-visual aids unit is in process of being built up. In addition to providing the Department with expert advice on audio-visual aids this officer is available to advise school managers, teachers and local education authorities on all aspects of teaching aids. A sum of £10,000 has been provided in the Estimates this year for the introduction on an experimental basis of audio-visual aids in a number of selected schools.
The sum of £20,000 allocated for educational research in the current financial year is double the amount allocated last year. These funds are made available to university departments or other interested bodies to aid specific research projects. A committee has been set up to assess applications for grants, review progress of grant-aided research projects and consider means for the dissemination of results obtained.
For the first time a sum of £7,500 has been set aside in the Estimates for the provision of technical assistance. This scheme provides for payment of the cost of projects involving visits abroad by officers of my Department or by persons nominated by managerial bodies and teachers' organisations for the purpose of attending non-Government type conferences and studying or investigating any particular facet of education in other countries. It also provides for the bringing in of experts from abroad to advise on particular educational problems. Copies of reports furnished by participants in the scheme will be circulated within my Department and, as appropriate, to interested bodies outside the public service.
The Advisory Council established in 1966 to survey the position in regard to post-primary school accommodation requirements in the Greater Dublin Area has done considerable additional work on this problem. Of the 30,000 additional post-primary places it is estimated will be needed in that area by 1975, sanction has been given for 20 new schools and for 34 major extensions to existing schools which will provide for almost 18,000 additional places and the Council is at present examining proposals for the provision of a further 5,000 places. I would like at this stage to express my very deep appreciation of the magnificent work which is being done by the members of the Council who have so freely and generously given of their time in the examination of this problem.
