Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

A permanent teacher is not allowed to lose his or her job. The idea that teachers will suddenly lose their permanent teaching post is incorrect. I regret any diminution in the standard of teaching care in our schools. The teachers we have at both primary and post-primary level are of the highest calibre.

I lived to tell the tale in this regard. The Acting Chairman and Deputy Burke may not have been here — the Deputy may have been in Garbally — but I was a Deputy in 1987, serving as Minister for Education. I do not know if anybody else in the House now was a Deputy at the time. There was a pupil-teacher ratio change of three proposed at primary level and two at post-primary level. On one Saturday there were marches and I found it difficult to go anywhere, although I went to them. On a Saturday there were 6,000 teachers outside my modest home — if I can describe it as such — in Athlone. I live in a small bungalow on the side of the road and there were gardaí and everything brought to control the 6,000 people outside my house.

The teachers came, sent in a deputation and we spoke before they left and went into town. On the following Monday the Athlone Chamber of Commerce wrote to me to say the town greatly benefited from the numbers at my gate and asked if I could arrange for them to come again.

See this speech in context