I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 and 365 together.
In the case of primary schools, there are two separate schemes operated by my Department to help schools serving disadvantaged areas, the first of which provides special financial aid for schools and the second of which gives additional teaching assistance in the form of concessionary teaching posts.
Since 1984 a total of £2.75 million has been allocated as special aid to schools serving disadvantaged areas and a further £.5 million is being provided this year. The funds have been allocated mainly to the following areas:
(1) special grants for the purchase of books and equipment; (2) the sponsorship of home-school community liaison programmes in co-operation with school management authorities; (3) the alleviation of primary school debts; (4) special inservice training for teachers; (5) grants for equipping pre-schools for travellers' children; (6) printing of specially developed curricular materials; (7) provision of educational assessment materials; (8) purchase of a limited number of computers.
The scheme for providing additional teaching assistance in schools serving areas of disadvantage was introduced in the 1982-83 school year. A total of 95 concessionary posts are allocated under the scheme at present in 78 schools; a breakdown of the number of schools and posts by county is as follows:
Posts allocated
|
County Dublin
|
78
|
|
County Cork
|
10
|
|
County Limerick
|
4
|
|
County Waterford
|
1
|
|
County Westmeath
|
1
|
|
County Mayo
|
1
|
Schools assisted
|
County Dublin
|
63
|
|
County Cork
|
8
|
|
County Limerick
|
4
|
|
County Waterford
|
1
|
|
County Westmeath
|
1
|
|
County Mayo
|
1
|
The selection of schools to benefit from the special measures is done in consulation with the Department's inspectors who are familiar with the particular circumstances of the schools in question. The inspectors submit recommendations to the Department based on the difficulties affecting the schools in question and taking account of the many educational, social and environmental factors relevant to each case. These would include factors such as:
(1) high levels of truancy and behaviour disorders; (2) discipline problems; (3) evidence of poor application, impaired reading, maths, etc.; (4) problems of teacher morale and motivation; (5) home factors such as parental problems, poverty of home life, lack of interest; (6) high unemployment and material poverty; (7) crime, vandalism, etc.; (8) lack of community support; (9) poor standard of accommodation.
Generally the special interventions are directed at groups whose educational disadvantage is manifest and which would be mostly comprised of families which have been disaffected and alienated from the educational system. The measures are intended to assist such groups which for a variety of reasons are inhibited from participating fully and from gaining the maximum benefit from the educational system.
The eligibility of schools for participation in the schemes is continuously monitored in conjunction with the local inspectors. The review of this subject referred to by the Deputy which has been undertaken with the involvement of the relevant educational interests has not been completed yet.
In the case of post-primary schools, following discussions under the aegis of the Central Review Committee of the Programme for National Recovery the Government decided to allocate additional teaching posts for the 1988-89 school session to post-primary schools where the greatest need was perceived following consideration of the effects of the introduction of the 20:1 pupil teacher ratio. A total of 175 such posts were allocated.
The posts were allocated among the various post-primary sectors as follows: Vocational sector 134; Secondary sector 25; Community and Comprehensive sector 16.
A number of concessionary posts (30.5) were also allocated for the 1988-89 session of VECs in respect of the needs of smaller vocational schools which were the only post-primary schools in their catchment areas. Those posts were allocated by my Department on the basis of appeals from the VECs and with particular reference to school size. All of the above posts were continued for the current session.
The majority of posts in the above categories were allocated to the VEC sector where my Department make teacher allocations on a committee-wide basis and not in respect of individual schools.
The following tabular statement shows the breakdown of the posts on a county basis.
Allocations of Posts on a County-by-County Basis
Posts for Disadvantaged Areas and Smaller Vocational Schools — single schools in catchment area
|
County Carlow
|
1
|
|
County Cavan
|
4
|
|
County Clare
|
11
|
|
County Cork
|
23
|
|
County Donegal
|
9
|
|
County Dublin
|
32
|
|
County Galway
|
12
|
|
County Kerry
|
10
|
|
County Kildare
|
6
|
|
County Kilkenny
|
5
|
|
County Laois
|
7
|
|
County Leitrim
|
7.5
|
|
County Limerick
|
6
|
|
County Longford
|
6
|
|
County Louth
|
4
|
|
County Mayo
|
12
|
|
County Meath
|
3
|
|
County Monaghan
|
7
|
|
County Offaly
|
3
|
|
County Roscommon
|
12
|
|
County Sligo
|
11
|
|
County Tipperary
|
4
|
|
County Waterford
|
1
|
|
County Westmeath
|
5
|
|
County Wexford
|
1
|
|
County Wicklow
|
3
|
|
Total
|
205.5
|
