Vol. 495 No. 1
412 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education and Science if three national schools (details supplied) were due to lose a teaching post at the end of the 1997-98 school year due to falling numbers; and if each of these schools, none of which have disadvantaged status, were allocated teacher counsellor posts thus enabling them to retain the teachers due to be transferred. [19473/98]
Each of the three schools referred to by the Deputy lost a teaching post at the end of the 1997-98 school year as a result of a decline in enrolments. I should point out that one of the three schools has disadvantaged status. Each of the three schools was allocated a teacher counsellor post for the 1998-99 school year. This, however, was not to compensate for the loss of assistant teachers but rather to address a particular need in these schools for the service.
Teacher counsellor posts have been allocated to the selected schools for the purposes of supporting these schools in their efforts to manage the behaviour of pupils who are disruptive-disturbed, and to enable the schools to teach these pupils effectively.
