Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)

I take no comfort from the Minister of State's reply. The population in the Gaeltacht areas in my constituency is declining as a result of emigration. For primary schools with eight classes, the loss of one teacher can mean that those who remain on the staff are obliged to cover a range of classes. Stating that the pupil-teacher ratio in the schools to which I refer is less than 28:1 does not take into account the number of classes which the teachers employed in those schools must take. There is a belief that what is being done here is a ploy to force the amalgamation of schools. As a result of the declining population to which I refer, many schools in the Gaeltacht areas in my constituency will have to close. As a result, it will be necessary for pupils from those areas to travel outside them to obtain an education. The Government's policy in this regard is contributing to the forced decline of the Irish language. Essentially, that policy is one of discrimination against the language.

In the context of the negotiations that will take place with principals in Gaeltacht areas in the coming days and weeks, I hope there will be an understanding with regard to the major role the schools to which I refer play in trying to ensure our language survives. In addition, account must be taken of the fact that the loss of a teacher from one of these schools exacerbates the problems experienced by those he or she leaves behind.

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