Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The programme for Government sets out the overarching policy position in respect of the provision of additional teachers and on reductions in class size over the life of the Government. The programme contains a commitment to increase the number of primary teachers by at least 4,000 and on that basis to make further progress on reducing class sizes.

Budget 2008 provided my Department with €4.6 billion, or an additional €380 million, for teacher pay and pensions. This was a very substantial level of additional investment in the context of the economic environment on which the budget was based. This allocation will pay for an increase of more than 2,000 primary teachers on the number that was teaching in schools when the Government took office last summer. It covers the additional teachers who went into schools last September for the previously announced reduction to a staffing schedule based on a ratio of 27:1, as well as additional teachers this school year and in the coming school year to meet increasing enrolments and to provide for special needs and the language requirements of newcomer children. This means that in respect of the overall commitment to provide at least 4,000 additional teachers, the Government will be well ahead of target in its first two years in office.

All programme for Government commitments to improve public services, including those relating to class size, are contingent on the economic and budgetary environment and the need for prudent expenditure and fiscal management. Even since the presentation of budget 2008 last December, there have been significant alterations in the external and domestic environment. All things considered, any reasonable observer would regard the actions by the Government that will see the allocation of more than 2,000 additional teachers to primary schools to be a considerable investment.

As for an impact on the quality of provision, it also must be borne in mind that the number of teachers relative to students is only one of many variables affecting the quality of education provision. International research on the experiences of the top school systems suggests the three things that matter most are getting the right people to become teachers, developing them into effective instructors and ensuring the teaching system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.

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