Malcolm Byrne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte freisin roimh an tuarascáil an-tábhachtach seo. Many points noted in the report have been well made by Deputies. The fact that there is cross-party consensus on the matter speaks to the importance of education for the Irish body politic and for achieving social and economic goals for the country.

My colleague, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan, referred to planning. A key element of catering for the increase in population of 1 million by 2040 will involve the provision of education and training at primary and post-primary levels, as well as the increasingly important process of lifelong learning. We need to look at imaginative ways to use our schools and training centres to provide learning opportunities within the community. I worry that the planning unit of the Department is not sufficiently equipped to meet the projections in respect of school numbers or the type of education we will need in the coming decades.

That brings me to the issue of IT equipment in schools, which was raised in submissions by the ASTI. The union pointed in particular to a 2016 ESRI report on the infrastructural deficit in that regard. I am worried that not all schools are sufficiently equipped with information and communication technology. Given the technological revolution we will face through the next decade which will involve challenges such as automation and artificial intelligence, we need to ensure that learners and teachers in our schools are sufficiently equipped with resources so as to be able to face them. I wish to see a clear set of plans, building on the report, in respect of how schools and teachers will be equipped to deal with those challenges.

An issue which has not been addressed is that of physical education, PE. A submission by the Joint Managerial Body noted that only 50% of schools have full-sized PE halls and some 72% of those halls are fully or partly funded by the school. All Deputies are aware of the challenges of childhood obesity, the importance of engaging people in sport and that it has been shown that those who are physically active enjoy a better learning environment. A strategy is needed in that regard. The report notes that the Department stated in 2018 that there would be an audit of sports facilities in schools within a two-year period. It is now late 2019. What is the status of that commitment?

Several Deputies referred to the workload of teaching principals. Some 57% of primary principals have the dual responsibility of managing the school and teaching full time. The challenges in small schools have been outlined. There are issues arising from a lack of middle management in larger primary schools. Since the time of the moratorium, those issues have not been addressed, which is a further source of pressure on teaching principals.

Along with several other Deputies, I note the cross-party consensus on the issue. Politics is about providing solutions and the report contains several very effective recommendations. I am very happy with the work of the Chairman of the committee, Deputy O'Loughlin, and how she conducts her business. While there surely are several easy wins to be had from the report, it also highlights some of the challenges in the system.

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