Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The school referred to by the Deputy is a two-teacher school with 19 pupils. It will continue to be a two-teacher school in September 2012. Based on its current enrolment it will remain a 2-teacher school in September 2013. It may lose a teacher in September 2014. However, it can avoid this if its overall enrolment increases in the previous September to 20 pupils. This gives a lead-in period of more than one year - to September 2013 - to increase its enrolment to 20 pupils. Therefore, it is completely premature to say that the school concerned is at risk of closure. The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this does not mean that small schools can stand still or never have their staffing levels changed to something that is more affordable and sustainable for these difficult and challenging times.

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