Vol. 467 No. 7
235 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that staffing levels in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 will be maintained; her views on whether a pupil/teacher ratio of 30 to 1, which would result from the loss of a teacher, is unacceptable in a school on the fringes of a disadvantaged area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14349/96]
The staffing of a national school for a particular year is determined by the enrolment in the school on 30 September of the previous year.
The enrolment of the school referred to by the Deputy on 30 September 1995 was 448 pupils. This will warrant a staffing of a principal and 14 assistants for the 1996-97 school year. Accordingly, the fifteenth assistant's post will be suppressed at the end of the current school year.
Since the projected enrolment of this school for the 1996-97 school year is not available, I cannot comment on the likely pupil-teacher ratio which will exist at the school for the 1996-97 school year. However, I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to reducing the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools generally. Since taking office I have reduced the pupil-teacher ratio from 25.2:1 to 22.9:1.
