Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)

The debate on this Private Members' motion has been constructive so far with Members giving responsible contributions. I agree with what has been said on the role played by guidance counsellors in schools. Apart from the career element to guidance counselling, the pastoral element is important too. This was also a concern raised by many who attended my constituency office on this matter.

Despite the debate on this issue in the media over the past several weeks, I was surprised to learn from the Minister that 42% of schools do not have a permanent guidance counsellor. Informing myself from media reports, I assumed every school had access to a permanent career guidance counsellor. I was wrong. Much of the speculation and reporting in the media is equally wrong. I understand there is a statutory obligation on principals under the Education Acts and the previous Minister must be complimented on ensuring that provision was inserted. However, leeways needs to be provided. The Department should examine how the change is being implemented, especially in the first 12 months, to allay the fears of parents and guidance counsellors that this review will be sidelined. I am sure the same concern is being raised with every Member. Will guidance counselling, the responsibility to provide pastoral care and the provision of one-to-one time with students evaporate to make room for something else? The Department should monitor this change through its inspectorate to ensure vigilance is maintained during the first year and thereafter and the Minister should be kept up to date about what is happening in this regard.

Parents are right to be concerned. Change is always difficult in the education sector, as we have witnessed over the past two weeks. People will use the opportunity to make political hay but that is the nature of politics. Many of the changes identified in the budget, some of which are being re-examined, call into question how the Government will make future savings. Education cutbacks will have to be considered on a broader scale. Parents, teachers, managers and departmental officials, who are the stakeholders, will have to sit around a table with the Minister in the near future. This is year one of four and we have witnessed the difficulties that resulted. We can pretend that next year will be easier but the reality is it will be worse.

I would much prefer it if everything was thrown on the table and now is the time to begin work on next year's budget. The Minister avoided an increase in the pupil-teacher ratio, by and large, but rural schools have been affected and I am sure that issue will be raised as well. Rural schools have an issue and guidance counsellors have an issue but it is a long way to the next budget. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend no savings can be made in the education sector next year, given 80% of the budget is protected through the Croke Park agreement, or we can be up-front and honest with stakeholders and say we are open to all suggestions to make savings. Many constructive proposals have been made regarding the pooling of resources in smaller schools, sharing principal posts, reviewing the primary school curriculum and the volume of material covered and the review of the junior certificate and so on. There is a willingness among the teaching profession, parents and managers to engage with the Minister for January 2013. Now is the time to do that because we should not cod ourselves. We think it is difficult when all the low hanging fruit has been picked but it will get worse next year. Now is the time to engage with people in a constructive and realistic fashion at the end of the day with one person in mind always, the child. There is a temptation to concentrate on jobs, posts, transfers and school closures and so on but the focus on a teacher's mind when he or she qualifies from day one, which is instilled into him or her, is that the most important person in the education system is the child, not the parent, teacher or manager.

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