Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Dec 2008

Vol. 669 No. 2

Adjournment Debate.

Redundant Apprentices.

Deputy Mary O’Rourke

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for permission to raise this matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, for coming in to deal with it.

I wish to raise the serious position of the 1,000 to 1,200 apprentices who have been made redundant. I do not know the exact number — perhaps the Minister of State has it in his brief but it is of that order — but the careers of these apprentices, who are awaiting their final certification, have been cut short mainly because of the economic downturn.

This problem knows no county border. It has occurred throughout the Twenty-six Counties. Young men, and some young women, set out on their careers as apprentice bricklayers, carpenters, electricians etc. through which they would get final certification. Once they had this certification they could travel the world and get a position because our certificates are recognised and approved by the European Union and further afield.

When we spoke here about a month ago on a similar motion on unemployment in general, I was under the impression that a scheme was just about to be put in place. However, a month has gone by and over the past two to three weeks many parents have come to see me about their sons — sometimes about their daughters — whose careers have been cruelly cut short because the construction or electrical firm to which they were apprenticed has folded. Through no fault of their own, the careers and training of these young apprentices have been cut short mid-stream and they are left with nothing, despite having completed up to three years' training.

I appeal for the scheme to be altered. The rules should be changed to allow the redundant apprentices continue their training. The State should in some way subsidise employers to keep those young people on their books and in all instances keep the training going so that the young apprentices would be in a position to go abroad with their qualifications, if they so wish. Many wish to go to Australia and if they had qualifications, they would get a job. However, if they go half-baked, they will not get one. It is important that the necessary subsidies or resources are provided to employers to retain apprentices so that they can finish their training.

Another aspect to this matter is that the strict rules of the system must change. Back in the early 1990s, the then Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and I brought in the new apprenticeship system which worked well in times of plenty. However, in times of downturn, it is not working because the young guy or girl is put out of his or her training and made redundant with nowhere to turn. I rest my case.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Jimmy Devins)

The House will be well aware that the construction sector has continued to experience a reduction in the level of activity in 2008 compared to previous years. In the recent past, there has been a consequential reduction in the level of employment in the sector.

The level of recruitment of apprentices by employers is also at a lower level — some 44% lower than in 2007 — and there has been an increase in the number of apprentices notified to FÁS as redundant. The current apprenticeship population is 26,479. Of these, 2,859 are recorded as redundant on foot of notification to FÁS.

In response to these trends the Tánaiste and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have been working with FÁS to put in place a number of measures in an effort to address the problems now confronting redundant apprentices, and especially those in the construction trades.

The measures developed to date will alleviate the situation and include the following. Through its employment services offices, FÁS is providing individual supports to redundant apprentices in their efforts to get work that will allow them to complete their apprenticeship with an approved employer. In the absence of options for workplace experience, redundant apprentices are also now being scheduled early for their off-the-job training phase in the education sector. This means that they do not need to do their on-the-job phase and can go directly to the next off-the-job phase. Accordingly, there are currently 123 redundant apprentices attending phase 2 and 316 are attending phases 4 and 6. FÁS has scheduled another 505 redundant apprentices to attend their off-the-job training phase over the next number of weeks.

Working with FÁS and other interests, the Tánaiste is in the process of finalising another initiative that should be of material benefit to apprentices in construction trades. The key objective will be to assist such apprentices to complete their in-work training and assessment with employers so that they can move forward in their apprenticeships. The scheme, the full details of which will be announced in the near future, will involve incentives for qualified employers to take on such apprentices over the next 12 months. We are hopeful that in the order of 500 apprentices can be helped in this way.

FÁS is also looking at the advantages that EU sponsored programmes that facilitate mobility for workers and apprentices can offer. In line with the thrust of these programmes, there are possibilities for temporary placements abroad that could be of real benefit to redundant apprentices. Separately, we will explore what other positive options might be available to assist our redundant apprentices in the short to medium term.

FÁS is responding quickly and with flexibility to the challenge of redundant apprentices and there will be a significant announcement on this in the near future.

Leaving Certificate Technology Programme.

Deputy Mary Upton

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter.

Drimnagh Castle secondary school in Walkinstown is one of the most highly regarded schools in the city of Dublin. It is also one of a small number of schools which undertook to provide the leaving certificate technology programme on a pilot basis as part of the leaving certificate programme.

Technology was a hugely popular subject for junior certificate and five classes were taking it in that school at junior certificate level. When it became an option for the leaving certificate, the school was pleased to be able to offer it to the students. Some 24 students were accepted for the subject in fifth year from a total of 40 applicants. They were literally queuing up to get on to the course but the school felt it could only provide for a class of 24 students. Funding was approved to purchase appropriate equipment and materials to run the course adequately. The first phase of this agreed funding was delivered to the school — so far, so good — but the school should have received the second phase at the beginning of the academic year and it is still waiting for that money to come through. The lack of funding is making it difficult for the school to proceed with confidence with the course.

As it stands, the school is officially only able to provide the equipment to teach at junior certificate level because of the lack of the additional funding that it requires. It is most unfair to the students who are taking this as a leaving certificate subject. Presumably they are depending on the subject for points in their leaving certificate and they are entitled to expect that the full service will be in place for them. In the absence of appropriate funding, the school believes it will be more difficult to deliver the course to the standard expected and to give a fair chance to the students.

Drimnagh Castle is one of the most highly regarded schools in Dublin. It delivers quality teaching to its students and has an excellent academic record. However, without the agreed funding for second phase, it will be extremely difficult to continue its popular technology programme. That would seem to be an incredible waste of resources and effort. The school needs to know when the second phase will be in place. I understand that a further 15 schools are in the same situation.

Every time we speak in this House about development, we refer to the need to promote and support science and technology. We have put huge efforts into encouraging students to take these subjects. We now have a situation in which students are queuing to get onto a technology course but the resources are not being put in place so that the school can guarantee the quality of teaching they have a right to expect. I ask that the second phase of funding be delivered as agreed and without further delay.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Deputy Seán Haughey)

I thank Deputy Upton for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position with regard to the introduction of the leaving certificate technology programme in post-primary schools. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has developed a new syllabus at leaving certificate level for technology. Previously, this subject was only available to junior certificate level. The subject was first introduced in a number of selected post-primary schools in September 2007 and will be examined for the first time by the State Examinations Commission in June 2009.

A technology subjects support service has been established to support schools in the implementation of the new syllabus. The national co-ordinator is supported by a team of assistant national co-ordinators, regional development officers and associate trainers. The introduction of this syllabus is a welcome development and will be an important element for students taking the subject to leaving certificate level.

Fifteen additional schools were invited to introduce the leaving certificate technology syllabus in September 2008 as part of a phased implementation plan. Drimnagh Castle secondary school was one of these 15 schools. The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, appreciates that the school is keen to get the funding it needs to allow the full syllabus to be introduced without delay. The implementation of a new subject in the school curriculum requires careful planning and consideration. However, as the Deputy will appreciate, any such expansion in the curriculum can only be carried out in the context of available funding. The Minister is pleased to confirm that the Department was recently in a position to grant aid the second phase of the introduction of leaving certificate technology to support the 15 schools which have introduced this subject. This will allow the schools to teach this subject to students who wish to develop their skills in this very important and developing area. Drimnagh Castle secondary school was among the schools to receive this grant aid and the Minister looks forward to the students in the school being able to pursue the syllabus to leaving certificate level.

Once again I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity to address the House on this matter and to give her some good news.

Deputy Mary Upton

I thank the Minister of State for the good news.

Deputy John O’Mahony

It is scarce this weather.

Deputy Seán Haughey

There is no more tonight, I am afraid.

School Staffing.

Deputy Ulick Burke

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue. Woodford Mercy College has developed a high standard in education at second level. However, the cutbacks introduced in the budget will have a severe impact on the delivery of its educational programmes. For the past several years, this school has had disadvantaged status but, as a consequence of the cutbacks, it will lose 3.81 teachers. That represents a severe blow to a school with a staff of 24 teachers. The cuts to the school's funding will total more than €20,000 per annum. As the school's intake dipped slightly for the academic year 2007-08, it faces the loss of an additional 1.8 teachers. In total, the school will lose 5.4 teachers.

Despite building up a strong reputation, the school experienced problems last year in retaining its home-school liaison teacher. The Department ultimately agreed to fund this teacher but the money is now gone. Some 30 of the school's 230 students receive individual support for special needs of one kind or another. When the Minister for Education and Science recently addressed the Joint Committee on Education and Science, he agreed to give special attention to schools which are experiencing serious hardships as a result of the cutbacks. The school will lose a book grant worth €5,140, a transition year grant of €3,500, an LCA grant worth €1,431, an enhanced capitation grant of €8,493, a special subjects grant worth €1,417 and a home economics grant worth €4,119, for a total of more than €20,000. This school has developed various fundraising activities in order to maintain its quality of education but this is a step too far. The Minister should give his attention to the serious crisis the school will face from September 2009.

Like other schools, substitute teaching will become a serious problem for this school from January. The school's teachers have gone to tremendous efforts to develop debating and dramatic activities. Despite coming from a small rural school, the students and teachers have excelled in these areas.

The school is located in a CLÁR area. I cannot express the serious consequences the loss of 5.4 teachers would bring. The school will not be able to perform at the levels it achieved in the past nor will it be able to give a fair chance to students who want to attend third level education. In view of this I repeat my plea to request the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to re-examine this case because the school has lost its disadvantaged status. There is a blip in the numbers this year and the school will suffer severely as a consequence. No Minister or Government should allow this to take effect from January and leading to the academic year beginning in September 2009.

Deputy Seán Haughey

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on the school referred to by the Deputy. Notwithstanding the increase of €302 million in the education budget for 2009, which is a real achievement in the current economic climate, a number of tough and difficult decisions had to be taken. The 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure and decisions were made in order to control expenditure and ensure sustainability in the long term. In this respect, education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared, and the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, acknowledges the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, including at school level. However, these are the inevitable result of the challenging economic environment and the need to manage Exchequer resources prudently.

DEIS, the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and an integrated school support programme. DEIS brings together and builds upon a number of existing interventions in schools with concentrated levels of disadvantage. The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the educational research centre on behalf of the Department of Education and Science and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the inspectorate.

Mercy College is among the schools that were judged by an independent identification process in 2005 not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage among their pupils to warrant their inclusion in DEIS. A review mechanism was put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in DEIS but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which was of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme.

Deputy Ulick Burke

There are 30 students requiring special needs support out of 230.

Deputy Seán Haughey

The review process operated under the direction of an independent person, charged with ensuring that all relevant identification processes and procedures were properly followed in the case of schools applying for a review. Mercy College applied for review but was not successful.

The main focus of social inclusion measures will be to retain resources in DEIS schools. There is a need to target resources on those schools that are most need and this approach is in line with the broad thrust of the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which are set out in his report on primary disadvantage 2006, which recommended that the Department should focus its educational disadvantage measures on those schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.

Over 70 post-primary schools that were not identified for inclusion in DEIS retained resources, both teaching posts and financial, under pre-existing schemes and programmes for addressing educational disadvantage. When DEIS was introduced, it was intended that as a concessionary measure to these schools, they would retain a level of support for the duration of the current DEIS initiative up until the end of the 2009 and 2010 school year.

While it is appreciated that the discontinuation of these resources will impact on these schools, including Mercy College, given the current challenging economic climate, difficult decisions had to be made in order to contain public sector spending. One of these decisions was to advance the withdrawal of such supports from non-DEIS schools to the beginning of the next school year. Other decisions included increasing the pupil-teacher ratio across all second-level schools from 18:1 to 19:1. In the case of fee-charging post-primary schools, there will be an additional one-point adjustment to 20:1.

Taken in combination, the impact of the staffing schedule changes, withdrawal of historic DEIS posts and language support weighed off against increases expected in the numbers of teachers for demographics and resource teachers for special needs will mean an overall net reduction of 200 posts at second level. This is less than 1% of the overall number of teaching posts in second level schools currently. Measured against the overall payroll target reduction across the public sector it demonstrates the Government's desire to protect front-line staff in schools to the greatest extent possible.

As the processing of the September 2008 enrolment returns for post-primary schools are not yet finalised, it is not possible at this time to outline to the House the impact these changes will have on the allocation of mainstream teaching posts for the 2009 and 2010 school year for the school in question. The staffing schedule for that school year will issue to all schools as soon as possible, and at that time, a more accurate indication of the mainstream staffing levels will be available.

The allocation processes include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. This is particularly relevant at post-primary level where the appellate process considers in particular any specific curricular needs of the school concerned. At post-primary there is no effective system-wide redeployment scheme at present and this can mean that schools retain teachers, although over quota. In addition, discrete allocations are made to post-primary schools — for example, to cater for pupils with special educational needs and those with language difficulties — and these allocations can also alter the ultimate position of the school with regard to any over-quota position.

The Department of Education and Science is aware of funding pressures on schools. However, progress has been made in recent years that has seen the post-primary school capitation grant increased by €15 per pupil, and it now amounts to €331 per pupil. In addition, voluntary secondary schools have benefited by the increase of €15 per pupil in 2008 in the support services grant, bringing that grant to €204 per pupil. The cumulative increase of €30 per pupil in a voluntary secondary school brings the aggregate grant to €535 per pupil. These grants are in addition to the per capita funding of up to €40,000 per school that is also provided by the Department to secondary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services.

Budget allocations for schools in the community and comprehensive school sector, along with those in the VEC sector, are increased on a pro rata basis with increases in the per capita grant. All schools are eligible for recurrent per capita grants towards special classes and curricular support grants.

The funding mechanisms in place afford schools considerable flexibility in the use of their resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. The Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, appreciates that the abolition of a number of grants for some schools will impact on funding levels in 2009 but it is also the case that enhanced levels of funding announced in the budget for the capitation and ancillary services grants will help to alleviate the impact of this.

I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity to address the House on this matter and to outline the current position.

Deputy Ulick Burke

Will the Minister re-examine the matter?

Deputy John O’Mahony

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter — the plight of Craggagh, Killawalla and Tooreen national schools — for discussion. This is a representation of the small rural primary schools in my constituency that will be dramatically affected if the class sizes are increased, as stated in the recent budget. I could mention others, such as Bonniconlon, Attymass, Lahardaun, Carn, Murrisk, Breaffy and Ballina Rehins, but I want to concentrate on Craggagh, Killawalla and Tooreen for now.

Craggagh and Killawalla national schools provide a wonderful education in their rural community, where the children are being taught in classes of a manageable size. They had 48 children on the rolls in September 2008, which would allow them to keep their third teacher in 2009. The projected numbers will increase to over 50 in September 2009. As the staffing levels for September 2009 are based on the September 2008 figures, they will lose their third teacher, although they had the required number of students for three teachers on both dates. The problem arises because staffing levels for September 2009 are based on the figures for 2008. Surely some flexibility can be shown in these schools because of the dramatic effects involved. I am talking about the fact that one third of the staff will lose their jobs and, in addition, there will be four classes in each classroom. The public may think that the pupil-teacher ratio is being increased by one, but in these schools the class size will increase in each case by ten pupils.

If a teacher is absent due to the removal of substitution at short notice, one teacher would teach more than 50 students in a classroom. One can imagine the effect of a 12-teacher school losing four teachers or a nine-teacher school losing three teachers — it would cause mayhem. In the cases I have cited, however, only one teacher is being lost, but people forget that represents one third of the staffing levels.

St. Brigid's national school in Tooreen, County Mayo, will have increased numbers in 2009 as well. The school will be unable to appoint a fourth mainstream teacher because staffing levels are based on 2008 figures. The situation is exactly the same as the other schools, except that in this case it concerns a fourth teacher. The net result on the ground in Tooreen is that 32 children will be in one classroom and 28 in another. This will make it impossible to cater for the individual needs of all children in the classroom, or to implement the new curriculum effectively.

To give an example, I was contacted by a parent in Tooreen school whose six-year-old son has been diagnosed with special needs. From September 2009, he will be in a class of 32 children if something is not done. At the moment he is making good progress in the smaller class, but one can imagine how his progress will suffer with the bigger numbers. A little flexibility would make a huge difference in Craggagh, Killawalla and Tooreen schools.

On "Questions and Answers" last night, the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, said that no school in DEIS areas will lose a teacher. Was he talking about DEIS schools in urban areas, because rural DEIS schools get no staffing concessions? I would like the Minister of State to clarify that point in his reply. Even if it were true for rural areas, which I doubt, it would not provide the flexibility for non-DEIS schools, some of which are also affected.

I appeal to the Minister to re-examine the special situation pertaining to small rural primary schools. I ask him to find out how many schools and teaching positions it would affect. I think it would only be a small number across the country. If the Minister could examine those numbers nationwide the solution would not amount to a major investment, but it would make an enormous difference to the delivery of a quality education system in small rural schools.

Deputy Seán Haughey

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the position to the House. The priority this Government and previous Fianna Fáil-led Governments attach to providing for quality education is evident in the budget allocations to my Department since 1997. This year alone, the Government allocated more than €9.3 billion. The continued prioritisation of education over the past 11 years has reversed the historic under-investment in areas such as school facilities, services for children with special needs and those in disadvantaged areas.

The 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect education could not be totally spared, while it is protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure. The various impacts at school level were included in the budget day announcements. Even with the budget measures in place, there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

When the country was able to afford it, the Government reduced the basis on which primary teachers were allocated to schools, based on an average number of pupils per teacher, from 35 to 27 pupils. The change to a new average of 28 pupils per teacher must be viewed in that context. Significant additional support went into schools, particularly in the area of special education.

The Government also reduced class sizes for the most disadvantaged in our DEIS schools to an average of one teacher for every 20 pupils in junior classes and an average of one teacher for every 24 pupils in senior classes. These will not change in 2009. When one adds up all the teachers in the system, there is one teacher for every 16 pupils in our primary schools.

Deputy John O’Mahony

That is no good to these schools.

Deputy Seán Haughey

It will be necessary in the more testing economic climate ahead for us to continue to target and prioritise our resources to maximum effect for everyone. While teacher numbers are important, numerous influential reports have highlighted the fact that teacher quality is the single most important factor — far above anything else — in improving educational outcomes for children. Ensuring high quality teaching and learning is a challenge. Dealing with factors that inhibit it, represents a challenge for the Government, the Department, school management and the teacher unions.

The Department of Education and Science will advise individual schools in the normal way on their staffing allocation. The preparatory work for this has commenced with the processing of enrolment data that have been received from schools. The staffing allocation processes, including notification to schools, will commence early in the new year. The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules.

In addition to mainstream classroom teachers, the Department also allocates teaching resources to schools for special needs and language support. The final allocation to a school is also a function of the operation of the redeployment panels, which provides for the retention of a teacher in an existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of the scheme.

The Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, has no difficulty in setting out for this House or for the public generally the overall changes on aggregate teacher numbers in schools for the 2009-10 school year. The Minister will do this when the allocation processes have been completed. Furthermore, the staffing schedule will be published and it is a transparent way of ensuring that schools are treated consistently and fairly, and know where they stand.

At this time, the priority for the Department, within the resources available to it, is to carry out those processes in a timely manner. Diverting resources to create staffing profiles for the individual schools requested by the Deputy, information which at this time would only be speculative, could not be justified and would impede the process.

The Minister is confident that as the global economy improves it will be possible to build again on the significant achievements of recent years and do so in a manner consistent with overall prudent management of the economy. As the full extent of the global crisis seeps into public consciousness, the Minister believes there will be general acceptance that taking difficult decisions now to secure future economic prosperity and secure employment is the first imperative for the Government.

Once again, I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity to address the House on this matter and to outline the current position in these cases.

Deputy John O’Mahony

That is no good for these children.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 3 December 2008.