Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill, which is primary legislation to replace the nine existing Vocational Educational Acts and is enabling, reforming and generally non-contentious. It is hoped it will provide for future developments.

On Deputy Boyd Barrett's comment that our new procurement policies have resulted in extra cost to the Exchequer and have impacted on the local economy, it would be strange if that were the case. Perhaps the Deputy would consider taking up the matter with the Minister for Education and Skills or the Minister with responsibility for the OPW in the context of the proposal to introduce centralised procurement.

Vocational Education Committees have developed progressively during the past 100 years. Previously, in my constituency one could only get an education through the VEC in the area and could not up until the late 1960s sit the leaving certificate examination. Many people involved in VECs have made contributions over and above the call of duty. I recall that in the early 1950s the late Mr. Ben Hooper held raffles and events to raise funding for the provision of public transport to the local VEC school in Baltinglass. I recently came across such a raffle ticket. In the early 1950s children in that area travelled 20 to 25 miles on school transport provided privately by the school. I appreciate all the work that has been done in that regard.

While as I stated earlier the Bill is not contentious, I ask that the Minister of State take another look at a couple of sections therein, including section 28 which deals with composition of the board. I note that one of the categories of persons precluded from taking up a position on a board is a person who is bankrupt. This is an issue which also arises in the context of membership of this House. It is also one that has come to the public forefront in recent years owing to the economic downturn. Perhaps we need to examine the concept of the honest bankrupt, namely, a person who through no fault of their own becomes bankrupt. This could be a sub-contractor who is beholden to a main contractor who, owing to negligence and so on, becomes bankrupt resulting in the subcontractor, through no fault of his or her own, being declared bankrupt. We may need to consider defining this type of bankruptcy in our legislation. Perhaps this could, as a start, be done in this legislation. As things stand, a person who is on a VEC board or board of management who, through no fault of his or her own becomes bankrupt - people are being declared bankrupt every day of the week - but has a valuable contribution to make may inadvertently be precluded from holding such position.

The Minister might also consider introducing a time limit in respect of the duration for which a person may hold the position of chairman of the new education boards. Many of the people who currently hold these positions have done so for many years. I acknowledge that the chairman of the VEC in my home county has done an excellent job for many years. However, I firmly believe there should be a time limit introduced in respect of the duration for which a person can be chairman of a VEC. I ask that the Minister of State and his officials note this with a view to addressing the matter on Committee Stage. Perhaps a five year term or requirement for break in service, following which the person could again take up such position, could be introduced. The same applies in respect of chairpersons of boards of management, although I acknowledge it is difficult to get people to take up such positions. Often it is harder to remove a person from the position of chairman of, say, a local Fine Gael branch or Fianna Fáil cumann, than it is to make that appointment. I am concerned that the same may be happening in respect of boards of management of schools. This is also applicable in respect of persons who hold the position of chairman on more than one school board of management. I do not doubt the ability of those concerned but a person should only be permitted to be chairman of one board of management at a time and for a set period. While the argument could be made that there already exists a facility to make this change, it may not always be possible to do so without the message going out that the person concerned did not do his or her job properly. More often than not, those concerned will have carried out their duties in an excellent manner. It is important this provision is built into the legislation.

There are a few other matters with which I would like to deal, including a local matter. The facilities at Coláiste Ráithín in Bray are very poor. While new accommodation has been promised for a couple of decades now based on public private partnership and land made available some ten to 15 years ago, nothing has yet happened. I would welcome if the Minister of State, whom I know has an interest in this area, could progress the construction of a new gaelscoil in the north Wicklow area. Currently, Coláiste Ráithín is housed in an antiquated building with few facilities, if any. I compliment those in the building section of the Department of Education and Skills who are pragmatic in terms of my dealings with them.

On school transport, I note that it is proposed to carry out a review of the catchment areas in this regard and that children who are precluded from availing of public transport in particular areas may obtain a subsidised concession ticket. It is hoped this can be progressed in the near future.

Another issue of concern to me is that of the art curriculum. As I understand it, the art curriculum for secondary education has not changed in 40 years. The Minister recently provided, owing to recent concerns in regard to literacy and numeracy ability, that subjects at all levels include a literacy and numeracy input. As I understand it - I am open to correction - a teacher of leaving certificate art is now required to include literacy and numeracy as part of the curriculum. I do not understand how literacy and numeracy could be inculcated into the art curriculum.

As I stated earlier, the art curriculum has not changed in 40 years. The percentage of people receiving an A or A1 in art is in the region of 1%, which is far less than for any other subject. There must be something wrong if only 1% of students taking higher level art are achieving an A or A1. The curriculum needs to be upgraded. I understand also that teachers are required to prepare notes on 20th century art history as the industry has not produced a textbook in line with the established curriculum. Perhaps it is not monetarily advantageous for it to do so. While I acknowledge that the Department of Education and Skills is not responsible for textbooks perhaps the Minister of State would examine this issue.

Another bug bear of mine, which I have not previously raised on the floor of the House, is that of results and the bell curve. I have sought clarification on this issue but have been unable to get it. What I am trying to establish is if the chief examiner of a subject sets a particular percentage of As or A1s that must be achieved in a subject. I have been approached by a couple of teachers who have marked papers for a number of years and who have on occasion had their papers returned to them with a request that they reduce the number of As in their batch. I raised this issue with the State Examinations Commission. The kernel of the response I received was that there are no quotas applied to the number of As or any other grade coming from examinations centres or from overall allocation of scripts to examiners. I would like to know if there is a quota in respect of the total number of scripts. Students taking, say, the agricultural science examination have a right to know if the total number of A1s allocated in that subject is set at 15% and in respect of mathematics is set at 20%.

If it is the case, it is an incorrect approach to education because if somebody gets a grade A he or she is entitled to it. If one's answers are 100% correct it is unfair to be given a grade A rather than a grade A1 based on the number of people getting each result.

I am gravely concerned there may be a bell curve policy for certain subjects. I suspect it may be based on batches and that the papers which received an A grade because of the batch they were in would have received a B grade if they had been in another batch in a different part of the country. I have sought documentary evidence for this but the response I have received is unsatisfactory. Will the Minister, through the State Examination Commission, establish whether there is a bell curve policy and if so what is it? If there is not, why do 1% of students get an A1 grade in art while 15% or 16% get an A1 grade in home economics or geography?

See this speech in context