Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleague Deputy Jonathan O’Brien on his introduction of this comprehensive motion on education. The current recession is a time when everything possible should be done not only to maintain our support for education but to enhance it. There will be no true recovery without the empowerment of people through education, particularly the empowerment of those in our society who are disadvantaged. A good education system can help to overcome disadvantage and break the cycle of generational economic deprivation.

Far from breaking that cycle, the austerity policies begun by Fianna Fáil and continued by the current Government are accelerating it. This is reflected in the increased numbers of people applying for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. More people are seeking help from a fund that this Government reduced last year and again this year.

Decent standards in our education system are simply not sustainable if the Government continues to cut education spending, as it has done since it came to office. Anything in the order of the expected or speculated €100 million cut in 2014 will be a further damaging blow to educational services for children throughout the State, with the least advantaged pupils and families being worst hit. There is a real concern now that the Government's approach will result in a further increase in the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools. With an average of 26 pupils per teacher in the State, we have the second highest pupil-teacher ratio in the European Union.

Moreover, I believe we face a turning back of the clock by decades to a position that obtained in my own time and for many years thereafter in which classes in primary education had 30 children or more. Already, a shocking 23.5% of primary school children in mainstream schools in this State are in classes of 30 or more. This is a shocking fact and the numbers have continued to increase in recent years.

The Minister, Deputy Quinn, states in his amendment that the Government has just published an action plan to combat bullying in schools. This is commendable, I welcome it and have spoken on this issue many times in this House. As the Irish National Teachers Organisation has pointed out, however, the challenge to combat bullying is made all the more difficult by increased class sizes. This is a no-brainer of a claim and it stands clear to everyone that this would be the case. On the issue of bullying and cyberbullying among 12 to 18-year olds in particular, I take the opportunity to commend the Waterford Comhairle na nÓg representatives who made what I can only describe as an outstanding presentation on this sad and tragic issue in the audio-visual room in Leinster House this afternoon. I say a very sincere "well done" to the young speakers involved, who were excellent.

I welcome the formation of the National Alliance for Primary Education, comprising management, parents, teachers and principals, which aims to halt Government plans to cut primary education in this year’s budget. The new alliance includes the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association, Educate Together, An Foras Patrúnachta, Gaelscoileanna, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, the Irish Primary Principals Network, the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education and the National Parents Council Primary. The National Alliance for Primary Education has stated that any attempt to cut bluntly primary education is a direct attack on children and their constitutional right to education. It is urging the Government to leave primary education alone and it questions how schools can equip today's generation for tomorrow if they are drained of vital resources. All Deputies will by now have received the National Alliance for Primary Education postcards with the message "Children Shouldn’t Pay – protect primary education – protect our future". I endorse fully that message and that campaign and I urge the Ministers, Deputies Quinn, Noonan and Howlin, as well as the Taoiseach, to act on it.

For all pupils, the cuts represent a threat to their education and to their future. However, this is definitely the case for pupils with special needs. All pupils have the right to have their needs assessed as early as possible and to have the additional resources they require allocated to them. Obviously, there are limited resources, but every effort must be made to put in place the resource teachers, hours and special needs assistants that pupils require. In conclusion, as the motion states, the Government should increase the number of teaching resource hours and end the cap on special needs assistants to match the needs of a rising school population and break the cycle of deprivation, marginalisation and educational disadvantage through the promotion of fairness and equity. Iarraim ar gach Teachta tacú leis an rún seo.

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