Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Teachers and parents of students at Donaghpatrick national school are watching these proceedings and will have noted that the Minister did not refer to the school. I accept that she is new to her brief and wish her luck in it. On the specific case I raised, the removal of a developmental post at the end of October will create a class of 42 students and the post will be reinstated next September. This does not make sense. We hear of improvements in the budgetary position. The problem in this case is a lack of flexibility. Someone must engage with the school and understand the concerns of parents. The developmental post should be retained for the rest of the year and established on a permanent basis thereafter.

On Cappataggle national school, I ask the Minister to freeze the pupil-teacher ratio at its 2013 level to allow the school to retain a teacher. It would be pointless to turn this discussion into an urban versus rural debate. The Department is under pressure and we must try to relieve the pressure on schools by maintaining the pupil-teacher ratio, which has been increased, at its current level.

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