Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is showing a complete lack of appreciation of the demands in those schools with fewer teachers. In many instances multi-class teaching is taking place. One teacher could be taking up to three classes. In such schools it is important, therefore, that the pupil-teacher ratio is lower.

What is the Minister's agenda in putting the burden of the cuts on the half of schools that do not have the capacity to take it? They have fewer families going to the school and more classes per teacher. After withdrawing the minor works grant and for the two years when the summer works scheme was not in place, there was a five-point increase in the pupil-teacher ratio while larger schools have not had an increase in the pupil-teacher ratio. The Minister has loaded it on the half that finds it most difficult to survive because resources are more stretched. That is the impact of the Minister's policy and he needs to assess it. The cumulative effect over the past three years of the Minister's stewardship is that smaller schools around the country are struggling to survive and many wonder how, and if, they have a future.

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