Vol. 409 No. 8
51 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that 80 per cent of the national schools in the country have a student/teacher ratio of 35:1; if in view of this fact when the student-teacher ratio will be brought down to 25:1; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
It is not correct that 80 per cent of national schools have a pupil-teacher ratio of 35:1.
My Department announced in March of this year improved staffing arrangements for national schools as part of the agreement negotiated under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress. These arrangements aim at reducing the overall pupil-teacher ratio, currently at 26.6:1, to 25:1 over a two-year period.
Under the first phase in the 1991-92 school year, teaching posts which would otherwise decline by approximately 250 due to falling enrolements, will be retained and 250 new posts will be created in September 1991, giving a total of 500 posts altogether. This will reduce the over-all pupil-teacher ratio to 25.8:1 for the 1991-92 school year.
In the second phase in the school year 1992-93, a further total of 470 posts will be retained with a balance of further new posts created in September 1992, to achieve the overall pupil-teacher ratio of 25:1 for that year.
As the Deputy will also be aware the pupil-teacher ratio is obtained by dividing the number of teachers into the number of pupils enrolled in national schools.
The overall pupil-teacher ratio includes, in addition to ordinary class teachers, administrative, non-teaching, principals, teachers in special schools and classes and remedial teachers.
