Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I have two main questions, the first of which relates to second level and is something that I raise as often as possible. School principals of disadvantaged schools say that they are concerned about a lost generation of young people who are now over 16 years of age, have no legal requirement to be in school and, therefore, might not return in September. They are young people whom schools have worked hard to keep in the system, but they have now been out of the system for approximately four months. There is a worry that there has been no recognition of how dangerous a situation we are facing in terms of a cohort of vulnerable young people who will not return in September. Will the witnesses speak about what we can do to help?

Second, we have constantly stated our position that, without a major financial package that includes funding for staff, schools cannot open in September. As the witnesses know, we have overcrowded and underfunded schools. There is a suspicion or fear that some of the actual costs will fall on school management bodies, principals and the fundraising capacity of schools, which would not be fair at all.

In terms of staffing and potentially bringing retired teachers back into the classroom, do the witnesses agree that a major financial package is needed, and should it have happened by now, in order to ensure that the pupil-teacher ratios in primary and secondary school classrooms are reduced? What is lost in all of this is that, the first time many teachers stand in front of a class, they are worried about being able to control and manage the class. In a situation where there is social distancing, how can a teacher do that effectively?

Those are my two questions, that is, on the vulnerability of those who might not return to the system and what the witnesses believe the political system can do to address that, as well as on the staffing that will be needed in September. Young people returning in September will have been out of the system for more than five months. I know from my own experience that dealing with a child who has been out of the system for two months is a challenge, and that is without there being a pandemic or social distancing considerations. I would appreciate it if the witnesses spoke to these two questions.