Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I congratulate Deputy Smith on tabling this motion. It is generally accepted that the proposals on career guidance are a serious mistake. The motion before us seeks to remedy that mistake, which has profound implications for students and their families, as well as career guidance teachers.

The educational system has been steadily built up over many years. Our party leader, Deputy Martin, played a central role in the development of the educational supports that are now in place for pupils who need them. However, while we had one of the finest education systems in the world, slowly but surely the Minister is dismantling many of the supports that were formerly in place. These supports were put in place for a good reason.

The Minister of State argued that the functions of career guidance teachers can be adequately catered for by the principals of schools. The reality is that career guidance teachers pursue special training for their role and to suggest that another teacher can adequately replace that special training is seriously to underestimate their work in our education system.

Career guidance teachers provide confidential counselling services to our students. The important elements of the role are personal and social guidance and counselling and educational guidance. The latter is vitally important for our young people because career choices made at a key time in the educational cycle determine the well-being of students and their families for the future. Unless specialist advice is available to students at the right time, wrong decisions are inevitably made, with profound and serious negative consequences for everybody concerned.

Given that the economy of this country is at a particular point, the quality of decision making is vital, and nowhere is it more important than in our educational system. If good decisions are not made by students and teaching staff, we will pay a heavy price in the future. The decision the Government, in the form of the Minister for Education and Skills, has taken is a bad one and needs to be revisited and reversed immediately. We must change it to ensure the career guidance teachers can go back to school tomorrow with assurance that the significance and importance of their role in our education system will be adequately safeguarded.

Other changes that were proposed in the budget are being reviewed, revisited, or whatever the word is. There is no reason this decision cannot also be reviewed and revisited. I urge the Minister to consult with his Cabinet colleagues and change the proposal he has made. The guidance counselling service is important for our young people in the education system, whose predecessors have benefited in the past from the excellent counselling and advice services that were provided for them. This service is needed in our system, and all schools must be adequately covered. Now is the time to recognise that.

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