Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Dáil Technical Group, I wish to express our sincere sympathy and condolences to the parents, relatives and friends of the victims of the tragedy in Berkeley, California. Our thoughts and prayers are very much with those people at this time, as are the thoughts of the nation.

Primary education is under-staffed, under-funded and under-resourced. We have the largest class sizes in the EU. Every day approximately 550,000 children receive their education in the largest classes in Europe. Some 85% of Irish children are in classes greater than the European average of 21, and one in five is in a class of more than 30 children. Distressingly, fewer than 10% of Irish children are in classes which other EU countries call the norm. The consequences are obvious. Simply put, not every child in this State is getting the attention or time they deserve. The knock-on effect is twofold. Our teachers are not maximising their abilities and our children are losing ground through a system that fails to properly resource and nurture talent.

Irish teachers are among the most productive in the EU considering that they teach much bigger classes. Irish teachers have four times more students in their classes than their European counterparts. I am sure that the Taoiseach, as a former teacher himself, would acknowledge that we have to stand up for education. This means three things, namely, smaller classes, better funding and support for principals and teachers.

In a world that is changing rapidly, including constant changes to the needs of industry, we must ensure that our children have the proper foundations for their education. We need to be more ambitious for our children, in addition to acknowledging the transformative nature of properly funded education. At all times, education has the ability to break down the inequalities that exist in society.

Investment at that stage in a child's life will pay dividends in the long term both for the children and the general economy in future.

Will the Taoiseach and the Government set out a plan to reduce class sizes to the EU average, starting this year and to be fully achieved in a reasonable timeframe, let us say, over the lifetime of the next Government? I appeal to the Government not to forget to reverse the staffing cuts to pupils with special needs. They are not proper in a civilised society and it was certainly abnormal in the context of international standards to allow that to happen. Will the Government support school teachers by doubling the release time for teaching principals, paying the outstanding parity awards and building a middle management tier as well as ensuring a structure for primary and secondary level schools on parity?

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