Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

Every stage in the education system is equally important, from preschool to third and fourth level learning. Education is a vital tool with which people can change their lives and livelihoods. However, if a child or a young person falls outside the education system early in his or her schooling it is extremely difficult to get them to re-engage in learning at a later date. In short, this means that both preschool and primary education is of particular importance to all people and getting the best start, in educational terms, makes all the difference.

We know that the unacceptable rate of early school leaving at second level has been unchallenged by the Government and I was amazed by the Minister's statement in this regard tonight. She suggested that more young people than ever are finishing school. Replies to several parliamentary questions we tabled have indicated that 1,000 children still fail to make the transition from primary to post primary level and that there is a sharp urban-rural divide on retention rates to leaving certificate level, with Dublin city running at 69% compared to Roscommon at 86%. Only 72.1% of boys and 83.3% of girls complete the leaving certificate examination and answers to parliamentary questions in recent years indicate that this statistic has not improved. I do not see how more young people than ever are finishing school, as the Minister suggested, unless there has been a population bulge in recent years that has increased the overall number of young people.

We have documented evidence that the literacy standards of children from disadvantaged backgrounds have not improved over the lifetime of this Administration. The seeds of many of these educational problems are sown at a very young age, yet the Government has failed to recognise this fact by supporting preschool and primary education.

While this evening's motion deals with primary level education, I wish to briefly comment that the lack of preschool opportunities for many children in our society is a crying shame. I accept that Ireland, unlike many European countries, does not have a strong tradition of preschool education. However, the educational benefits that accrue to children in the short term and the long term from access to preschools are well documented. A deeply regrettable lack of vision on the part of the Government has meant that the provision of preschool has not been advanced. The Government has been in power for a full decade, yet it has not put forward a clear statement or plan of action to ensure that all children have access to preschool education within a defined timeframe.

At primary level the inadequacies of the Government are very clear. Though maximum class guidelines are set at 28 pupils per teacher, the reality is that more than 110,000 primary school children are in classes of 30 or more. At a time when the education system is going through a period of rapid change and expansion, the delivery of new buildings continues at a very slow pace. Teachers now face many new challenges, such as the diversity in our schools and classrooms, but the Government response has been slow, insufficient and out of touch.

Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats are quickly moving from out of touch to out of time. The Government has had a chance to govern and has failed children, young people, teachers and parents. Why, after ten years of government by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats, is the process of getting clearance for a new classroom akin to climbing a Mount Everest of red tape? Why, after ten years of government by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats, are many schools still unclear as to their position on the school building programme and how long they will have to wait for new school buildings? Under the Minister it is no longer possible to check the progress of applications on-line. At least that was possible when Deputy Dempsey, whom Deputy Carey forgot to mention, was Minister for Education and Science.

Why, after ten years of this Government, have schools, given the go-ahead for new buildings, yet to see a new block or brick laid? A Fine Gael survey recently found that, of the schools given the green light for new works in the past 18 months, more than 80% had not proceeded to construction stage. Why, eight years after the establishment of the national educational psychological service, are 50% of primary schools still outside the realm of the service? The Minister repeatedly refers to the weighted system but she is missing the point as it is a waiting system that faces our children. Almost every school in the country has children awaiting an assessment and the provision of a different, weighted, system does not address the needs of many such children.

Why, five years after all teachers were promised a laptop computer to help them to teach, are they still waiting? Why, three years after the announced introduction of standardised testing at primary level, are we still waiting for the tests to take place? At the education estimates committee meeting earlier today I asked the Minister for Education and Science a question on standardised testing and she admitted that her Department would only gather the results from this testing from schools in the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, programme. This means that the standardised testing results for thousands of schools will not be gathered; that there will be standardised testing but no information on the results of that testing. Not only will the results not be published, they will not even be available to the Department of Education and Science so these tests will achieve nothing. The results will be private information available only to the individual schools in question. That is ridiculous and it makes a joke of standardised testing.

The Government has failed to join the dots and we can no longer afford to look at every problem from the heart of central Government. A new approach is required, one which reforms how the Government works, how individual schools function and how local authorities and planning and development laws incorporate the needs of wider society. It seems this type of co-ordinated approach to planning for the future of our education system is not in place. Over the coming five years it is estimated by the Department of Education and Science that the number of children at primary school level will increase by close to 60,000. We will need about 2,300 classrooms to accommodate them. Who among us has confidence that if this less than dynamic duo of Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats is returned to power we will have these necessary classrooms by 2012?

In conjunction with better planning from central Government, a key aspect of the Fine Gael approach to primary education is to empower schools to plan for their own development and address the specific challenges they face. Day in and day out, schools are working with vulnerable children and young people. Many have initiatives in place, some without direct funding, some with funding from other Departments, that are helping to keep young children in school and improve their education. For one school keeping children engaged and learning might depend on giving them a decent breakfast. For another the way to a child's mind might be through a homework club or a computer class. In education, what works should be supported.

Fine Gael is committed to establishing a schools excellence fund, starting with €100 million, which schools can access directly to provide additional services for pupils. In addition to more mainstream supports this fund would be used by schools to support innovative initiatives to tackle literacy and numeracy problems and to support the recruitment of new teachers.

Overcrowded classes will be tackled as, despite grandiose promises to reduce class sizes, the Government has failed to improve the situation in many classrooms in all parts of the country. Given the projected increase in pupil numbers at primary level the matter must be prioritised for action.

The Minister for Education and Science washed her hands of the issue of class sizes as quickly as she could when she assumed office. In Government Fine Gael will concentrate additional resources on dealing with the 110,000 children in classes of 30 or more. We want to see class sizes reduced across the board, but we believe that the real drive must first be to address the unacceptably large classes in schools. In tandem with a reduction in unacceptably large class sizes, we believe that it is crucial that junior classes have fewer numbers as the formative years in a child's development are most important.

We are all aware of the significant problems that schools in urban areas face, with 35 and 36 children being taught in many classrooms. However, we cannot overlook rural schools where, in addition to the problem of overcrowding, there is the challenge of teaching children of different ages and stages in multi-classes. I disagree with the Minister who made this sound like a very simple thing to do — teachers mixing junior and senior infants with first and second class pupils in one classroom will attest that it is a near impossible task that requires support.

A review of retention figures is necessary as we need to build some flexibility into the current system which allows schools to lose a teacher if one family and one child leaves a community. We must examine the rules governing developing schools to ensure that schools which are growing in size substantially and quickly are awarded the resources they need.

In terms of local planning, the disconnection between the provision of housing and the provision of schools must end. I accept that the system in Fingal is working, but that is not replicated around the country. I was recently approached by a planner who wanted to know if a school was to be provided in a particular area so he could make a decision. He felt it would be irresponsible of him to make a planning decision without knowing if one would be provided, yet there is no legal compulsion for him to take such responsibility. I was not in a position to answer the question as answering questions on planning decisions is not the job of any TD. However, this incident indicates the lack of a proper planning structure. Fine Gael will ensure that local authorities have the power to require that the provision of sites for community buildings such as schools, or payments towards such facilities, will be part of new residential developments. While local authorities award planning permissions for new housing, they often take a back seat in planning for school development. Why should the authority that awards planning for housing developments not also consider the future educational needs of those living in its area? To ensure local authorities can plan properly for the educational needs of their communities, the Fine Gael Party, in Government, will ensure that all local authorities draw up specific development plans for the provision of educational facilities in their areas over ten-year periods. We will also prioritise the delivery of preschool education for all young children. Increasingly, educationalists point to the preschool period, usually the year before a child enrols in full-time education, as being of critical importance.

There is no single solution to the problems our schools face. An agenda for action on a number of fronts, which places a high priority on delivering for children with special educational needs, driving down class sizes, giving schools greater autonomy in planning for their future and meeting the needs of their pupils, and reform of our approach to education, will lead to the best solution to the challenges our schools face. The Government promised many things to parents, teachers and pupils but failed utterly to deliver on its commitments. Our agenda for reform is achievable and, when delivered, the education sector will be significantly enhanced to serve the best interests of all children and young people.

I have no doubt the best fiction on television this weekend will be on RTE 1 at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday when we will hear Fianna Fáil rededicate itself to unfulfilled promises on class size for the third election in a row. I ask people to think seriously about falling for such promises again.

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