Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I thank Deputy Lynch for her excellent time keeping. I hope what I have to say will be equally and not more important than what she said in her contribution.

The Government stated last night, in the course of this debate, that in 2008 the Department of Education and Science will pay €167 million to primary schools to cover day-to-day running costs and that a €21 increase to €330 per pupil means primary schools receive unprecedented levels of funding per pupil to meet running costs. This belies a fundamental lack of understanding of the true nature of educational provision as our citizens understand it, as the parents understand it, and as the principals and teachers understand it.

When a parent sends a child to school, an unwritten social contract that is enshrined within the Irish psyche is entered into that the child will receive the best education possible. That social contract was not on the basis that the parent must also fundraise, take part in raffles, sing karaoke, hillwalk, play bingo and join in pub quizzes so that the child can have the benefit of water, electricity and a myriad other services within their school.

In real economic terms the costs of maintenance of schools has increased considerably in recent years and the burden now faced by schools to meet these additional costs ultimately places a further financial strain on parents of children who find themselves fundraising for schools on a constant basis.

Educational provision should not have to be subjected to this form of pressure. It is enough for any school in these times to have to educate and educate alone. That in itself remains the fundamental challenge and, arguably, it should be the only challenge. I acknowledge that the Government has increased the capitation grant since 1997. However, by doubling the capitation grant now, it does not have to come at the expense of providing extra teachers, a theory which has been posited elsewhere in this debate, and somewhat disingenuously.

The logic of our position is to ensure that the headache of maintenance and running costs is taken away from all schools so that they can concentrate on providing education and continue, in certain instances, to do battle with the Minister on the capital programme for the provision of adequate school buildings in places such as Castlelyons, Rahan, Grange and Midleton where no proper buildings have been provided for considerable periods. Not only have schools to raise funds, they also are operating in substandard buildings. This is the reason the Labour Party is raising this issue. If the capitation grant is increased, it will at least take some of those pressures away.

See this speech in context