Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 29 Feb 2000

Vol. 515 No. 3

Written Answers. - School Staffing.

John Bruton

Ceist:

335 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason he has reduced the remedial teacher allocation to Beaufort College, Navan, County Meath; if he will increase funding to Meath VEC to allow it provide a better remedial service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6089/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The Deputy will be aware that it was announced some months ago that, with effect from the beginning of the current school year, all second level schools in the free education scheme would have an entitlement to an ex-quota allocation in respect of remedial education.

The actual entitlement of an individual school for a particular school year is determined by the enrolment at the end of the preceding September. Schools with an enrolment of 600 or more pupils qualify for the allocation of a full post while schools with enrolments below 600 qualify for the allocation of 0.5 of a post.

In the vocational sector the teacher allocation is generally determined on a VEC scheme basis rather than on an individual school basis. In the case of County Meath VEC, the teacher allocation for the current school year includes an increased allocation in respect of remedial teaching compared to that allocated last year.

It is a matter for the chief executive officer, with the agreement of the VEC, to allocate teaching resources to individual schools in the scheme from within the overall approved allocation.