Vol. 484 No. 3
375 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Education and Science the current position regarding the application by a school (details supplied) in County Galway in relation to its case for the appointment of a second teacher at the school; when this appointment will be made in view of the fact that there are currently 17 pupils attending this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22131/97]
In March 1997, the outgoing Minister for Education agreed staffing arrangements for primary schools for the current school year with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation. These agreed arrangements was based on the allocation of all surplus posts available for redistribution from the demographic dividend.
The Deputy will be aware that An Action Programme for the Millennium contains a commitment to give primary education a clear priority in allocating resources. In this context, the programme specifically states that one teacher schools with ten or more pupils will receive a second teacher. I am examining a range of options with a view to identifying the most appropriate way to fulfil the Government's commitments to one teacher schools.
