Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have acknowledged that bringing guidance within quota is challenging for schools but the alternative was to adjust the pupil-teacher ratio staffing allocations. My Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations. Guidance and counselling is a whole-school responsibility with guidance counsellors playing their part within an overall team approach. Enhancing supports for schools, including guidance, are among a number of issues raised in discussion with me as priorities within the school sector.

The previous budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60 million during 2015. I am determined that education should be prioritised for investment as our economy recovers and I will be seeking to agree a set of priorities for such increased investment into the future.

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