Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Aire agus guím gach rath ar an mbeirt Airí sna róil nua atá acu.

I will be very brief. I want to focus on why the Revised Estimates do not include provision for school staff numbers despite the fact that we are here to make provision for an unchanged net allocation of over €10.1 billion. The gross allocation sought is €10.6 billion. As the Secretary General of the Department has acknowledged, there will be a need to employ additional staff and it has recently been accepted that we will have to free up leadership time that will have to be covered. We will need to examine different ways of providing substitution for teachers and SNAs because we want to minimise the number of schools substitute teachers will be in. We may be able to create more full-time posts.

Schools in my constituency are losing valuable and much needed teachers because of the current pupil-teacher ratios. I am aware that schools in my constituency are on split sites and I have written to the Minister about one such national school in Ferbane which is facing the removal of a teacher because it is five children short of the target needed to retain the teacher. This is unfair and wholly unacceptable, given that we are in the middle of a pandemic. Is there any room for a full moratorium on teacher losses while the Covid-19 emergency remains with us? I raised this issue with the Minister's predecessor, but I would appreciate if some attention could be given to it because there will be chaos in our schools in September.

Schools' leadership is faced with a great deal of responsibility. Those involved have to ensure that children will be adequately spaced and that there will be supervision in halls and other areas of schools. It is something that should be followed through on.

See this speech in context