Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Guím gach rath ar an Aire ina ról nua. Tá súil agam go dtuigeann sé go bhfuil infheistíocht, seachas costais, i gceist leis an oideachas. Tá súil agam freisin go n-aithníonn an tAire, mar iarmhúinteoir, luach ár múinteoirí atá ag mothú éadóchasach faoi láthair. I wish the Minister of State well and offer my congratulations on his appointment to his new role. As I said, I hope he sees education as the investment it truly is; it needs to stop being seen as a cost. As a former teacher, I hope he sees how demoralised our teaching profession is and that he places a value on teachers.

I welcome the well-being policy statement and framework. However, I note the section that deals with the progress on the recommendations of the joint committee's report on positive mental health is the smallest section, which is disappointing over a year later. A key point that resonated with me, as a former teacher, and the reason we as a committee prioritised this, is that it is essential we give our children the toolbox of skills to cope at a time of crisis. Our young people's sense of well-being is so fragile that it shatters at the first crisis.

With regard to guidance counselling, I ask that we would investigate the introduction of school based counselling, which is being done in the US, Canada and Australia. Has research been done in the Department in this regard, given it is now over a year later? Prevention and early intervention are key when it comes to our children. It is about how we hold onto our mental wellness. It is vital we make sure we do this as early as possible, so we need to be talking about the primary school level.

In his statement, the Minister of State referred to the increase in the number of NEPS psychologists. The Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care launched its final report yesterday. Something that came out of it was that we only have 179 NEPS psychologists but we have 4,000 schools. We were told another 18 were to be added this year but it seems some of those psychologists must be struggling under the burden of working with so many schools. I do not know how they can provide the service that is needed. Is it true there is no real maternity cover? Is it the case that if a NEPS psychologist goes on maternity leave, there is no cover whereby someone steps in? If that is true, it needs to be addressed. If someone is covering six, seven, eight, nine or ten schools and then goes on maternity leave, and there is no one to step in, that is a crucial resource that is missing from our schools.

With regard to teachers, the witnesses who contributed to the report talked about the need to look after the well-being of our teachers.

If we want teachers to look after students then they need training in mental wellness. Some of the witnesses mentioned that teachers feel the challenges they face in work threatens their mental well-being. Indeed, Dr. Tony Bates, paid particular attention to the important role that teachers play in schools. He said that they were the "carriers of change" but warned that too much is often expected of them and it is presumed that they are capable of solving all of society's problems within the classroom.

In 2016, I was elected a Deputy but before that I was a teacher for 20 years and taught in three different schools. In all my years teaching I received only one hour of inservice training on mental wellness for a teacher. There is something very wrong with that situation. It was potluck that one of my schools thought that teachers would benefit from inservice training on wellness. I hope that the new Minister views such a situation as wrong and something that needs to be improved. It should be policy that teachers receive inservice training on mental wellness. It is not good enough to just get one hour in 20 years. Such a situation also does a disservice to students.

Finally, I do not know if the Minister is aware that the Chairman, Deputy O'Loughlin, and I have been working on a mindfulness initiative for everyone who works in Leinster House. It important that we, as politicians, show the lead in this matter. If we look after our own mental health it will ensure that we are better public representatives and thus look after the staff who work here in Leinster House. A mindfulness programme has worked very successfully in Westminster. Last week, Mr. Chris Ruane, a Labour MP, was in Leinster House. Last year, I travelled to Westminster where he held a very successful international conference on mindfulness. The former Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, attended the mindfulness seminar held in Leinster House last week. I hope that the new Minister will lend his support to promoting the initiative. It is important that when we roll out the programme, and I do not know whether the Chair will agree, that Cabinet Members participate. If we truly view well-being as crucial in the education sector then I would appreciate if the new Minister gave his time or was seen to publicly support the initiative that we are about to roll out in Leinster House.