Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This morning I was on local radio with Deputy Jonathan O'Brien who has moved this Private Members' motion. We discussed cuts, education and everything that has surrounded this debate. The first thing I said on radio was that our education system is not perfect. It was a fairly straightforward simple statement to make. The second thing I said was that our education services have been protected, despite the amount of pressure they have been put under and despite the challenges to our financial stability. That was also a fairly straightforward statement. To say that I was questioned on these statements as being contradictory is, to say the least, an understatement. I can see how they appear to be contradictory but how could I say other than that our educational system is not perfect? We have had cuts, reduced our budget and stretched our finances at the same time as maintaining that our services are being protected. The simple fact is that no educational system is ever perfect. There always will be flaws and ways in which we can make improvements. However, given the budgetary situation, the cuts that have occurred and the pressure the country is under, our educational framework remains one of the best. It can only improve by working with this Government.

We are already investing more than €2 billion in a cyber capital programme which prioritises the construction of schools, creates 15,000 jobs indirectly and 3,000 directly. Some €57 million has been invested to replace pre-fabs which means we have permanent classrooms. We have new initiatives to reform the junior certificate examination, as well as the action plan against bullying in schools, and mental health guidelines. In addition, we are promoting and implementing a higher education strategy. That is just to name a few initiatives and I could go on.

Sinn Féin's approach to austerity on both sides of the Border is somewhat contradictory. They have a Sinn Féin Minister for Education in the North who apparently has put £400 million into education, yet last year 28 post-primary schools there were closed. That leads me to believe their economic policies, including the manner of expenditure, leave a lot to be desired.

I wish to ask the Minister a few questions about my own constituency which has large, growing populations in Ashbourne, Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin and Ratoath. That puts a lot of strain on school principals who must decide on enrolment figures. It is difficult for them to refuse admission to children. We have maintained our pupil-teacher ratio at 28:1 and in one third of cases it is actually below 25:1. However, I ask the Minister to examine the schools where ratios are higher than that. Some 900 teachers are being recruited to maintain the figures both at primary and secondary level, but that may not be enough to cope with the current discrepancies in enrolments, as well as enrolments in the years ahead.

I also ask the Minister to address the issue of resource hours for children with Down's syndrome. A recent report from the National Council for Special Education, or NCSE, said there was no evidence to show that children with Down's syndrome needed resource hours. However, it is as plain as the nose on my face that is not the case. We do not currently have enough studies or reports to show that is the case but if the Minister could examine the matter in the context of the forthcoming budget it would help the children involved. Nonetheless, we have a great educational system at the moment.

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