asked the Minister for Education the number of students who obtained the Higher Diploma in Education in 1975; and the number of new appointments to secondary schools at the beginning of the school year in 1975.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Higher Diploma Students.
11.
According to the latest information available from the universities, 1,603 graduates were conferred with the Higher Diploma in Education in 1975. This number includes teachers already serving in primary and secondary schools.
The number of new teachers with the Higher Diploma in Education who were appointed in secondary schools at the beginning of the school year in 1975 was 523. Information is not yet to hand from the schools under vocational education committees.
Would the Minister agree that in recent times the number of graduates who obtain the Higher Diploma in Education is far in excess of the number for whom posts are available? We have now quite a considerable number of young people with this qualification without employment and would the Minister state what efforts he has made to inform the schools of the situation so that young people doing the leaving certificate will be aware of the problem facing them if they do a degree and have a Diploma in Higher Education with the object of teaching in post-primary schools?
The universities, as the Deputy knows, are autonomous bodies and the Minister has no function in the admission of graduates to the H.Dip. course but, having said that, I welcome the opportunities given to me by the Deputy's questions to draw attention to the fact that we are producing a number of Higher Diploma in Education students every year in excess of the number of places available. In fact, since 1965-66 the number has increased from 686 to 1,800 in 1975-76 and since the number of places in secondary schools in the new meaning of the term—voluntary secondary, comprehensive and community schools—is around 500 and not likely to increase substantially, I welcome the opportunity of giving publicity to the fact that those who take the Higher Diploma in Education may face a period of unemployment.
The Minister gave me a similar reply last year and he promised then he would be in touch with the post-primary schools in relation to this matter so that the position would be brought more effectively to the attention of the young people concerned. If he has not done that already, would he do it now?
I have a note here of the reply to the Deputy and what I said was it would be useful if career guidance teachers were to take up the references made by the Deputy. What I did draw attention to was the fact that the Deputy had made a very useful attempt to draw the attention of the public to this undesirable state.
Would the Minister now get in touch with the career guidance teachers? It would not be a very big job.
My reluctance to do so would be my reluctance to interfere in respect of entrants to any particular faculty in any university. I would like the media, if they could do so, to draw attention to this exchange. I asked them to do this on previous occasions.
On a point of clarification, 1,603 and 523 were the figures given by the Minister. Vocational school appointees were not included in that.
That is so.
So some of the Higher Diploma in Education people may have gone to vocational schools.
That is possible. There could be some in that area.
Would the Minister indulge me for a moment and allow me to advert to the fact that on a previous occasion on a matter of public importance the Minister gave a reply which would have been useful if it had been publicised by the media? That was about the final date for third level grants and I have a case full of letters from people late again in putting in for them.