Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the three members of the unions here today. I spent 15 years as a second level teacher and I have spoken to many teachers and principals over recent weeks about their concerns and anxieties in the lead-up to a September return. The big elephant in the room is pupil-teacher ratios. Anybody involved with education in their professional life will acknowledge that we have always strived to reduce pupil-teacher ratios to an adequate level. This crisis has highlighted that those attempts have been a dismal failure. It needs to be acknowledged that had we been more successful in tackling the high pupil-teacher ratios we have, then this difficulty in returning in September might not be the big issue it is going to become.

I have spoken to six principals over the past two days, and somebody mentioned earlier that one size does not fit all in terms of school buildings and what is there. One principal described the difficulties they have with the narrowness of the corridors. Another principal discussed the issues they have with the size of the rooms themselves. Another discussed their lack of sheltered open space if the weather is poor and children need to go outside and play. That is going to be another challenge ahead. That said, it is heartening to see with the various unions that everybody has their shoulder to the wheel. I have no doubt we can make a success of this.

The question I have, and it was hinted at by Deputy Lahart earlier, is in terms of school principals and boards of management not being public health inspectors. They are not people with a professional background in disease control. The concern many principals have is the role the Department of Education and Skills, the HSE, the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, or public health officials will have in terms of ensuring schools comply with the guidelines that are being set out. I will put that question to the ASTI initially.