Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes. We will each have two and half minutes.

I would like to address the issue of primary school class sizes. In County Clare and in many peripheral parts of Ireland, there are small rural primary schools. The 2017 budget gives some element of protection to two-teacher schools but three and four-teacher primary schools are still substantially curtailed by the cuts inflicted by the then Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, in the previous Government. In 2008, a two-teacher school qualified for a third teacher when it reached a threshold of 48 pupils. This now stands at 55. In 2008, a three-teacher school qualified for a fourth teacher when it reached a threshold of 78 pupils. That now has risen to 85. Thus, small schools which are growing can have class sizes of up to 27, or perhaps 30, before they qualify for a second or a third teacher. To compound this problem, pupils of several different ages can be spread across large class sizes. These two factors are helping to put increased pressure on teachers and are putting our pupils at a disadvantage.

Teaching becomes a very difficult task especially when delivering new programmes such as the Aistear programme, a play-based programme for junior and senior infants, and the new integrated language curriculum for English and Irish. The methodology of these programmes is very difficult to implement in the context of an overcrowded small school, particularly when they require one- to-one interaction, group based learning, peer learning and the identification of clear progression milestones for each pupil.

Small rural schools are the bedrock of our rural society and must be resourced in a fair and equitable manner. Overcrowded classes are unacceptable and inhibit the potential of our children, especially when they struggle to achieve. Virtually all our children spend eight years in primary school. Unfortunately, many drop out after their junior certificate and many do not reach further levels of education. If we want to have greater equality in our education system, it must be properly funded to reduce class sizes and to give our children the best possible start in life. If we resource our primary schools, they will deliver a better educated and more adaptable group of young students who will thrive and flourish in their adult lives.

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