Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 24 Feb 1998

Vol. 487 No. 6

Adjournment Debate. - Remedial Teachers.

Mr. Ring

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I believe the Minister will appoint remedial teachers in the next few weeks. Ninety per cent of national schoolchildren have access to a remedial teacher while 76 per cent have the services of one. Yet 32 schools in County Mayo have no access to a remedial teacher.

St. Colmcille national school, the Quay, Westport, No. 13145a, has been looking for a remedial teacher for many years. Westport is one of the fastest growing towns in the west, if not in the whole country. A large number of children attend that school, some of whom come from disadvantaged areas. That school has been looking for a remedial teacher for the past three years.

We all know that if children who have difficulty with learning, reading or writing are not looked after at national school, they are disadvantaged in secondary school from the outset. They never seem to be able to pick up what they have lost at national school. Sometimes one would wonder who is being well looked after by the Celtic tiger. Certainly it is not the people who are disadvantaged.

I call on the Minister to appoint a number of remedial teachers to the 32 schools in the county which have no remedial teachers and no access to remedial teachers. If the Minister could appoint one remedial teacher for Muirisc national school, No. 16832l, St. Colmcille national school and maybe Drummin national school, No. 17039v, at least it would be a start. I would prefer to see three teachers appointed for those schools, but I hope something will be done for them this year.

Keenaghbeg national school, No. 14923e, is another school in a disadvantaged area which has been ravaged by emigration and which finds it difficult to attract pupils. If schools do not have remedial services, parents will not send their children there. That causes a problem for rural schools because if people have a car and a little money, they will send their children to another school rather than send them to the nearest school.

I ask the Minister to make sure County Mayo gets its fair share of remedial teachers, something which did not happen in the past. The fact that the 32 schools in County Mayo do not have a remedial service is a disgrace and I am sorry the Minister is not present to hear me say so.

The last Government appointed 53 remedial teachers in the last school year, yet there are 32 of these schools in County Mayo. The Minister should look after the people who are disadvantaged. No county is more disadvantaged than County Mayo. I mentioned some of the schools but there are many more. I could continue speaking for ten minutes about the schools which need a remedial service. In addition to those I mentioned already, Killala national school and Rathbane national school are among those in need of a remedial service. I hope that when the Minister appoints remedial teachers in the next three weeks he will not forget County Mayo, but if he does I will be back here raising the matter on the Adjournment and I will not be as quiet as I am tonight.

Mr. Neville

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this issue, the need for a remedial teacher in Croagh, Kilfinny, Kilcolman, Coolcappa and Cappagh national schools, County Limerick. In reply to a question which I tabled to the Minister on 16 December, the Minister stated that there are 38 schools in County Limerick which do not have a remedial teacher, 21 of which are in my constituency, Limerick West. It is totally unacceptable that 22 years after remedial teaching was first introduced there are children without access to a remedial service. Parents and teachers are rightly demanding that the neglect of the children requiring the service must not continue beyond this school year and I urge the Minister not to let this neglect continue.

The appointment of a teacher would be of huge benefit to the children involved. It will not only benefit those children who are in need of a remedial teacher but also pupils with high potential. Teachers can deal adequately with the middle group, but it is the very bright and those who are a little slower in some subjects who suffer most. The standard of education, which is high in the schools I mentioned in Croagh, Kilfinny, Kilcolman, Coolcappa and Cappagh, would be further enhanced for all pupils if a remedial teacher were appointed to service the schools.

They have been looking for a remedial service over a number of years and they are now demanding that the Minister address the situation and appoint a remedial teacher. Children from the schools, whose parents realise they have a difficulty, are almost forced to go to schools where a remedial teacher is available. Therefore, pupils are being transferred out of the catchment area of those schools. It is a rural area and the schools need all their pupils to retain the current number of teachers. It is depressing to see pupils who are in need of a remedial teacher being moved out. It is most unjust and it is discriminating against the children who are most vulnerable.

An assumption is made that students requiring the services of a remedial teacher are underachievers or not as gifted academically as others. This is not necessarily so. Many who come through professional remedial teaching have been successful academically. One must never make an assumption that those who are in need of remedial teaching are not capable of the highest level of achievement.

We should treat all children equally. Children in small rural schools should have the same facilities and opportunities as those in large urban areas. However, the children requiring remedial help to which I am referring in Croagh, Kilfinny, Kilcolman, Coolcappa and Cappagh national schools are being deprived of it. This is unfair and discriminatory. The situation should be corrected and a remedial teacher should be appointed within the next three weeks when the Minister is making his appointments. It is important that a child in need of remedial teaching receives it at primary level.

The problem of education of the disadvantaged must be addressed at primary level and it is important that the identification of problems is made at an early stage in a child's school life. Children who are unable to cope with school must be professionally assisted. The inability of schools to deal with such children must be addressed. Children with problems in the schools to which I have referred do not have a remedial teacher and are being discriminated against by the Department.

Underachievement in school is not unique. It exists in all communities. With the exceptional pressures placed on children to perform, it is essential that remedial teaching is available to all who require it. Learning difficulty is viewed as the gap between attainment of pupils and their potential. Remedial teaching aims to close the gap by providing additional specialised teaching on an individual or group basis. In the schools under discussion, there are children in need of the assistance and until it is available the education system is failing them.

The absence of the remedial teacher is clearly identified in the transition of pupils from primary to secondary school. Such pupils experience extreme difficulties. Many do not complete their secondary education. Children in need of remedial teaching who do not receive it are more likely to find themselves among the long-term unemployed because of the failure in the education system to provide a remedial service which would enable them to reach their potential.

I ask the Minister on behalf of the parents, teachers and the children of these schools to examine this issue and appoint a remedial teacher forthwith.

(Mr. Treacy)

Tá mé lán-sásta an deis seo a bheith agam an freagra crinn beacht a thabhairt don beirt Theacha faoi muinteoirí speisíalta a chur ar fáil i scoileanna in gContae Maigh Eo agus gContae Luimnigh.

I thank the Deputies for raising these matters as it affords me an opportunity to inform the House on the provision which is being made to address the needs in this area. We are currently not in a position to make remedial teacher posts available to the primary school sector.

In March 1997, the outgoing Minister for Education agreed staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 1997-98 school year with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation. These arrangements were based on the allocation of surplus posts available for redistribution from the demographic dividend for the 1997-98 school year.

A total of 54 remedial teacher posts have been allocated to primary schools with effect from September last. These posts were allocated on the basis of priority of need for access to a remedial teaching service.

As has been indicated to the House in the past, remedial education at primary level is a matter in the first instance for the ordinary class teachers. The majority of pupils with remedial needs would, therefore, be helped within the scope of the normal teaching service. However, it is acknowledged that remedial teachers constitute the main additional resource for addressing the problem of underachievement in primary schools.

Of the 187 ordinary national schools in County Mayo, 112 now have the services of a remedial teacher either on a full-time or shared basis. This includes ten schools allocated a remedial service in the current school year as part of the recent redistribution of posts. This means that approximately 73 per cent of pupils attending ordinary national schools in County Mayo currently have access to a remedial service.

Of the 146 ordinary national schools in County Limerick, 119 now have the services of a remedial teacher either on a full-time or shared basis. This includes seven schools allocated a remedial service in the current school year as part of the recent distribution of posts. This means that approximately 89 per cent of pupils attending ordinary national schools in County Limerick currently have access to a remedial service.

We are reviewing provision across the special needs area, including the remedial teacher area, to ensure that all available resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

I assure the Deputies that the needs of all schools, including those in County Mayo and Croagh, Kilfinny, Kilcolman, Coolcappa and Cappagh national schools in County Limerick will be fully considered in the context of any additional remedial teacher allocations which may be undertaken later this year by the Minister for Education and Science.

The Dáil adjourned at 9 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 25 February 1998.