Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Subject to the Minister's consent, the VEC may also become a patron or joint patron of an existing school. I have previously spoken about patronage in the House and it is important. I do not want to diminish this importance but parents, by and large, are not obsessed with patronage. They want a school where the children are safe and the standard of teaching and learning is high. It is important that the focus on the quality of teaching and learning is not lost. We all want our children to have a positive learning experience, one in which each of them reaches their potential and becomes the best they possibly can be. Parents want choice and our education system must offer it. We must ensure the system is responsive and dynamic if we are to meet the challenges of rapid regional and global change.

This new single patron and board of management model will have the capacity to cater for denominational, multidenominational and non-denominational education options. It will be inclusive while respecting the diversity of cultures in our society. Children in preschool or junior infants do not notice any differences between themselves. They see themselves as equals. These schools will provide religious education to the wishes of the parents. It is important the schools will respect and welcome all faiths and none. They will seek to provide religious education during allotted times for the main represented faiths in a school.

Section 5, boards of management, states they will not become sub-committees of the VEC but have the same status as boards of management in other recognised primary schools. I pay tribute and commend those who serve on school boards of management for their interest in our children's education. Having served on one in the past, I am familiar with the demands made on board members and how seriously they take their duties. They are volunteers and do not get enough recognition for the excellent work they do.

There has been much comment on the Bill's provisions on the employment of substitute teachers, particularly non-teachers as substitutes in certain circumstances. I appreciate the headache substitution can pose for principals and deputy principals. Urgent staffing needs occur and a substitute, who is not a registered teacher, may have to be employed. This should be the exception, not the norm, however. There are many unemployed graduates in the teaching profession. Where possible, they should be afforded an opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience which may help them secure full-time employment in the future. Every teacher had to start somewhere; experience is the first item on a teaching candidate's curriculum vitae that is checked before a job interview.

Non-registered teachers should be used only in exceptional circumstances. Otherwise, it can be disruptive to the teaching and learning process. I recall when I was a deputy principal using a database of substitute teachers but not being able to get a subject match. From my experience at second level, if, for example, a physics teacher is absent, a parent expects a physics substitute teacher to be in place. This is not always the case, however, as health and safety regulations require classes to be covered.

We must be careful with this development involving non-teachers. I accept such circumstances are extremely rare. Every effort must still be made to ensure a class is covered by a properly and appropriately registered teacher. A time limit for the employment of a non-teacher as a substitute in certain circumstances is also important as it is not a practice I would like to see continue indefinitely. I know from my teaching experience that parents and pupils would not be happy to have a teacher who may not be suitably qualified.

I know the Minister will take on board the concerns expressed by all Members on all sides of the House and give them due deliberation. I welcome the introduction of this legislation and look forward to its passage in the House.

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