Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the statements on education. Education is the great equaliser: it has the power to break down barriers, lift communities and, most importantly, to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential. However, for too long, our education system has been held back by chronic underfunding, inequality and a lack of ambition or vision for schools.

Sinn Féin believes in a world class education system that leaves no child behind. That means investing properly in schools, teachers and, most importantly, in the future of children. The first step in delivering real change in our education system is proper and adequate funding.

For years, schools have been forced to fundraise for the most basic things. Now, their capitation grant does not even cover heating, electricity and insurance costs. The current school capitation grant stands at €200 per pupil at primary school, the same rate that was paid to schools in 2009. The Government planned to increase this to €224 this September but the INTO has called on the Government to increase the capitation fund by 20%. The Government's failure to do so shows its lack of concern for the many schools that are struggling to literally keep their doors open.

Within the past two years, there has been a huge increase in the number of schools referred to the FSSU due to financial struggles. Schools need stability and certainty. I am conscious the Minister spoke for 16 minutes and only referred to the issue of school funding in the last 20 seconds. As an essential first step, the Minister must increase funding for schools and introduce a grant calendar so schools can budget. Grants should be paid early in the year. The ICT and minor works grants are inexplicably delayed. The Minister should please tell us when they will be paid and that it will be soon. Schools are at breaking point. The latest response to me on this issue yesterday used the phrase “in due course”. That is simply not good enough.

Regarding special education, every child has the right to an education that meets their values and their needs. In special education, children are locked out of education based solely on the fact they have special educational needs. That is shameful. The Ministers say they have sanctioned enough places for children for September; in fact, they say they have sanctioned more than enough. The question, of course, is whether these places actually exist and are appropriate. Parents faced with scores of rejection letters and forced to sleep outside the Department and outside this building would beg to differ, I am sure. Recent figures released to me show there are 1,275 children on short school days, an increase of 20%, and 821 of those children have special educational needs. Many of those are on short school days because of the lack of supports at school. It is no fault of the teachers or the school communities. A further 177 children are getting home tuition while awaiting an appropriate placement. I urge the Minister to heed the concerns raised by the INTO, among others. She should ensure that full funding for the equipping of special classrooms and ancillary sensory and play spaces is made available early.

It is not just about physical space and equipment. Special classes across the State are significantly understaffed. Teachers, in many cases unqualified, are stretched thin and there are not enough SNAs. The Minister will deny it but there has been a policy change in relation to SNA allocations. SNAs are being rationed - there is no other word for it - in a way they have not been before. It is not enough to have primary care needs but children must have “significant” primary care needs. That is a change. I can give numerous examples in my constituency, such as St. Patrick's National School in Stamullen and Scoil Náisiúnta Cholmcille in Skryne. The list goes on. Arbitrary caps must be immediately abandoned. The Minister must invest in SNAs, increase their number and support them in their role. There is a commitment to amend the circular on leave of absence following assault. This must happen as a matter of priority.

On the issue of educational disadvantage, the DEIS programme has been a lifeline for schools in disadvantaged areas but it needs expansion, not stagnation. A 2024 OECD report on DEIS schools highlights a number of issues relating to the educational disadvantage schemes. Findings from research conducted by the TUI and TASC found that 10% of school teachers in DEIS schools rated classroom facilities as very poor, compared with 2.8% of teachers in non-DEIS schools. To provide any sort of decent education to our children, the Minister must provide decent funding and resources. Funding for DEIS schools must urgently be increased to ensure schools have staff, proper resources and the programmes needed to close the inequality gap. We will see the new DEIS plan soon and, hopefully, it will be welcome. We have heard welcome commitments with regard to DEIS plus but targeted supports to children most in need are vital. There are clear indications that significant problems need to be addressed.

Of 154 educational welfare officer posts, 23 are currently vacant, according to figures released to me in recent days. In the interest of time, my colleagues will cover the issue of Gaeloideachas. Tá siad in ann níos mó a dhéanamh ansin freisin.

On the issue of class sizes, Ireland has some of the largest class sizes in Europe. Over 51,000 primary school pupils were in classes of 30 children or more last year. Meanwhile, the INTO is calling for the pupil-teacher ratio to be reduced to 19:1, a call that we fully support. Successive Governments, a number of which the Minister has been a part of, have failed to deliver not on the INTO's commitments but on their own commitments to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio.

With regard to teacher recruitment and retention, teachers are the backbone of schools. The strain on teacher supply is heavily related to the housing crisis that this Government has created. Housing prices are out of reach and unaffordable to many people in need. There are a number of key measures that the Minister needs to take to support and address the recruitment and retention crisis. We need to look at the time-bound provision, for example, to allow people to conduct their Droichead year after training abroad. That has been delayed, inexplicably. Pay parity is an issue. The cost and duration of the PME is an issue. I welcome the commitment with regard to permanent contracts but will they be full-hour contracts? We need a guarantee in this regard. In excess of 13,500 unqualified teachers were needed, because of the recruitment and retention crisis, to stand before children in classes across the State. The teacher recruitment and retention crisis is such that, at secondary level, schools are forced to drop subjects, and the TUI had significant information in this regard. It is a very significant issue that needs to be addressed.

While we all recognise that the leaving certificate is changing, I fundamentally disagree with the Minister's approach to leaving certificate reform. I believe the Minister has made a mistake in ramming through the reforms without the proper resources. It is shameful that we are using potential pay increases as a bargaining chip in this regard. We need to manage the process of leaving certificate reform and there is a major risk with the approach this Minister is taking. Students and teachers need support, not more pressure. I firmly believe the approach the Minister is taking is the wrong one. Let the teachers decide in their own ballot. I have real concerns that the approach being taken will heap advantage on advantage and disadvantage on disadvantage, undermine the strength of the leaving certificate and cause harm to our graduates. There is a lot of work to be done.

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