At Question Time today I asked the Minister for Education the following question:
The number of untrained teachers at present teaching in national schools who have received notice of termination of services from his Department from 30th June next; why this notice was issued at this time; and if he will consider their appeal for a further crash training course to enable many of them to qualify as trained teachers.
The Minister's reply was as follows:
In March of this year notice issued from my Department to 238 unqualified persons who are serving temporarily as teachers in national schools that their employment would be terminated not later than 30th June, 1975 since the number of qualified newly-trained teachers who will be available as from 1st June, 1975, will be sufficient to allow of all teaching posts in national schools being filled by qualified teachers. It should be understood that each person concerned, being unqualified, was recognised temporarily only until such time as the school manager succeeded in obtaining the services of a qualified teacher and that the circumstances of their being so recognised conferred no right to continued recognition or to future recognition as teacher.
Special summer courses of training have been provided for some years past for qualified untrained teachers, but persons who were not already qualified as untrained teachers were not accepted on these courses. which have now come to an end. There could be no question of instituting a special course to enable persons not already qualified as national teachers to obtain trained status. Such persons, however, would be eligible to enter as mature students for the annual competition for admission to the normal course of training as national teacher, provided they satisfied the requirements as to age and standard of education.
This sudden withdrawal of recognition was a very harsh decision, especially as many of the people concerned have given long years of devoted service. Quite a considerable number were never in any other employment and they do not know where to turn when their employment is terminated. Many have proved to have exceptional ability as teachers and this has been recognised by the parents and the teaching staff. It was only the lack of academic qualifications that prevented such people from becoming trained teachers. The Minister has said that persons would be eligible to enter as mature students for the annual competition for admission to the training course provided they could satisfy the necessary requirements as to age and standard of education but this is little consolation when many of the people concerned have not the necessary qualifications.
The lack of necessary qualifications in no way diminishes the ability of these people to teach and the fact that they have spent so many years teaching shows their love for their profession and for the children in their care. It also shows their dedication to their jobs. Unfortunately most of these people are not organised. If they were the Minister would not take the action he now proposes. Does he think any other group of workers would react to this kind of summary dismissal without protest, or even violent protest? It is only because the Minister is dealing with unfortunate individuals without any union support that he thinks he can take this action.
By adopting this course of action the Minister is ensuring that there will not be any improvement in the pupil/teacher ratio next year—in fact, there will be a severe deterioration in the ratio after June. He has told us that he proposes to fill the vacancies with the appointment of teachers who come out of training this year. What he should do with this sizeable group is to fill the normal vacancies with some of the teachers and use the remainder to achieve a much-needed reduction in the pupil/teacher ratio.
In reply to parliamentary questions in this House, the Minister admitted that there are many classes with more than 50 pupils. This is disgraceful. It was to create a new situation where there would be much smaller classes that the Government of which I was a member and the former Minister for Education, Deputy Faulkner, ensured that more teachers were trained than were needed for normal replacements. Until this year they were used to reduce the high pupil/ teacher ratio but the present Minister apparently will discontinue that practice. To aggravate the situation, there will be no new teachers coming out of training next year because of the three-year course. What is the Minister going to do? It is most unlikely that teachers over 65 will return when they have been kicked out this year.
The number of teachers in training in the coming years will be much smaller than this year. This is deliberate policy on the part of the Government. They want totally to reverse the Fianna Fáil policy of reducing the pupil/teacher ratio and this is one of the reasons I raised the matter on the Adjournment. The Minister for Education has been gloating and boasting about his achievements in the last two years and has told us that he achieved a reduction in the pupil/teacher ratio. He did this because of the legacy left to him by the former Minister for Education, Deputy Faulkner.
The Minister should have used the 1,100 new teachers this year in a positive attempt to reduce the numbers in classes. Instead, he has thrown the 238 untrained teachers to the wolves. Even though they have given loyal service, some of them for as long as 25 years, they are now being thrown on the scrap-heap. The pupils of these people, and the pupils' parents have been so pleased with them that they have resisted many efforts by managers and the Department of Education to remove them. Those people served education when they were greatly needed and now the Minister for Education is, as from 30th June, throwing them on the scrap-heap. It is disgraceful. My purpose in raising this on the Adjournment was to give myself an opportunity of again appealing to the Minister to find a formula for introducing a crash course. There are two other Deputies anxious to contribute so I would like to give way to them.