Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 1

Written Answers. - School Staffing.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

340 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to appoint a remedial teacher to Scoil Cailíní Phádraic, Donabate, County Dublin, in view of the fact that the school has an enrolment of over 600 children and this is projected to exceed 900 in the next four to five years. [27004/98]

Nora Owen

Ceist:

341 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision, if any, he has made for the appointment of an additional remedial teacher in St. Patrick's boys' national school and Scoil Phádraic girls' national school, Donabate, County Dublin, in view of the fact the enrolment number is 577 to date and expected to rise to 615 in 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26283/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 and 341 together.

I allocated an additional 60 remedial teachers with effect from September 1998. I have also announced my intention of ensuring that every primary school in the country will have access to a remedial teacher service from September 1999.

I will continue to review the position regarding schools which are already included in the remedial service. I can assure the Deputies that the needs of the schools to which they refer will be considered in this context.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

342 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision or proposals, if any, he has made for additional teachers in second level schools in view of the fact that the pupil-teacher ratio was better in 1972 than it is today; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26284/98]

Jim Higgins

Ceist:

363 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will grant additional staff to the Sacred Heart school, Westport, County Mayo. [26455/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 342 and 363 together.

I recently announced a major new funding initiative for the education sector. At second level, a total of 225 new teachers will be appointed. Combined with a very significant change to the manner of dealing with over-quota staffing in secondary schools, these new teachers will enable a move towards the provision of an automatic remedial resource in all schools and home-school-community liaison in all disadvantaged schools.

The new package will be resourced by allocating an additional teaching provision to schools which are within quota and lack the appropriate remedial and home-school provision. In the case of schools with over quota teachers who might otherwise be redeployed, this resource will be utilised in the first instance to meet the remedial and home/school needs of the school.

Following the implementation of the above package some schools will, nonetheless, have on their staff over quota permanent teachers. In deciding on whether or not these teachers come within the redeployment scheme, a ratio of 18:1 will be utilised. The impact of this is that schools will be allowed to retain teachers who might otherwise have been placed on the redeployment panel. This will give schools greater certainty in relation to the utilisation of these permanent teachers pending the occurrence of retirements.