Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1993

Vol. 435 No. 6

Ceisteanna — Questions Written Answers. - Allocation of Remedial Posts.

Jim Mitchell

Ceist:

127 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education if, in respect of a primary school (details supplied) in Dublin 7 she will provide a full-time remedial teacher in keeping with the commitment and sanction that was indicated in June 1993; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the subsequent changing of this commitment means that the school has to share one remedial teacher with another school which already has a full-time remedial teacher and makes that other school, despite having considerably less pupils and already having a remedial teacher, the base school for the second remedial teacher; if she will give the normal procedures in relation to base schools for sharing teachers; the reason the larger school was not made the base school in this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

The established policy of my Department in relation to the allocation of remedial posts is that such decisions are conveyed in writing to the chairperson of the board of management of each of the selected schools. This arrangement is intended to avoid doubt regarding the sharing of the resource. I am not aware of any commitment given to the school in question other than that conveyed in the manner I have set out.

Decisions in relation to the selection of the base school in the case of a shared remedial post are based on a number of considerations, including the relative level of remedial need in each school, the location of each school and the levels of enrolment. However, school size is not of itself necessarily a determining factor.

In this particular case it was considered that the balance of advantage lay in designating the school selected as the base school and that the teacher should provide remedial support at the school referred to by the Deputy for three days per week.

As with all remedial posts, my Department will be reviewing the effectiveness of these arrangements on an ongoing basis.