Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

— condemns the Government for introducing changes to the staffing schedules in 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools in Budget 2012;

— objects to this policy decision which unfairly targets schools with less than 86 pupils and which will result in a loss of 250 posts and an increase in the pupil/teacher ratio between now and 2013;

— further objects to the Government's covert approach to amalgamation and closure of 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools;

— condemns the severe impact this will have on gaelscoileanna, scoileanna Gaeltachta and minority faith schools in particular;

— further condemns the Government decision to apply the new staffing schedule based on 2011 enrolment figures;

— recognises that small schools are at the heart of communities;

— rejects the Government's:

— argument in relation to small schools having a more favourable pupil/teacher ratio which fails to take into account the challenges of multi-grade teaching; and

— claim that frontline services have been protected in Budget 2012 and recognises that teachers in 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools provide a critical frontline service;

— notes that:

— research has shown that learning outcomes in the smaller schools are on a par with learning outcomes in larger schools; and

— 47% of the 3,200 primary schools in the State have 5 teachers or fewer; and

— calls on the Government to:

— protect existing 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools this year and in the coming years;

— recognise the disproportionate impact this cut will have on gaelscoileanna, scoileanna Gaeltachta and minority faith schools and to ensure these schools are protected;

— protect the significant investment in small schools by Fianna Fáil Governments over the past 15 years which resulted in the doubling of the numbers of teachers working in small schools, and significant capital investment to allow for replacement, refurbishment and improvement of school accommodation across the country;

— explain the rationale for this decision and publish any impact analysis carried out by the Department of Education and Skills in relation to this decision and the effect it will have on 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools;

— recognise the important role of these schools in local communities and the damaging effect this will have on communities throughout Ireland;

— acknowledge the damaging consequences that will result from the budgetary changes to the staffing schedule which will lead to the forced amalgamation and closure of small schools in the coming years;

— accept the uncertainty that this is creating for local communities; and

— provide detailed clarification on the appeals mechanism for staffing changes.

The motion before the House on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party clearly outlines our concerns over the adverse effects the changes proposed to the staffing schedule for small schools will cause to many communities throughout the country. The protection of small rural schools is a critical issue for Fianna Fáil and we believe the 2012 budget unfairly targeted rural communities. The Government's plan to introduce phased staffing cuts in small schools with fewer than five teachers is a cause of very serious concern in many communities, rural and urban.

During the course of the past decade there was a very substantial increase in the resources provided to small schools in the form of teacher numbers, teaching support staff and the physical infrastructure, with new or upgraded classrooms and ancillary accommodation. Those decisions were taken and that investment was made because we see local primary schools as an irreplaceable part of community life. In our motion we ask the Government to protect the existing network of one, two, three and four teacher schools.

In the two months or thereabouts since the budget was announced, the cuts being imposed in our schools have rightly become the cause of concern to many school communities. While many Members on the Government side issued press releases praising the fairness of the budget and how they had protected staffing and schools, the reality has quickly emerged that the exact opposite is the truth. Core staffing has not been left intact, and pupils, schools and communities most in need have been singled out for cuts. The programme for Government gave a clear commitment to protect front-line services. By anyone's definition the classroom teacher provides a very important front-line service. Cutting these jobs is as clear a broken promise as pledging to reduce fees and then increasing them.

The previous Minister for Education and Skills commenced a value for money review of the provision of small primary schools. As that Minister confirmed at the time and many times subsequently, the review was commissioned with absolutely no commitment to cutting the number of teachers. The main approach was to find the best way of supporting the schools, and I and many others in this House at that time consistently made the point that small schools should be valued and protected. The large number of responses to that particular consultation process demonstrated the importance of this network of schools. Why were decisions with such impact on small schools made in advance of the finalisation of that report? There has been no consultation with management bodies or unions. The Government must publish whatever impact analysis has been carried out by the Department on these far-reaching changes.

Surely all of us in public life should understand the role of small schools in our education system. It is true that we have an unusually high number of primary schools in proportion to our population. This is the result of many factors, the most important of which is that our national schools have always played the role of being a focal point in a local community. Where other countries took the approach of bussing children long distances to meet idealised efficiency standards, we have retained the community-school link as a core feature. We must continue to retain that link. Our population dispersal pattern is very different from that of most European countries. In terms of education standards the evidence is that pupil outcomes in smaller schools keep pace with those of schools with much larger enrolments and specialised support services. In the broader educational context, having schools which are rooted in their communities helps children to better understand the place where they are growing up. Vitally, these schools help maintain the viability of many rural areas. Taking away the school in a community takes away the community's heart and future.

In the decade up to 2005 the population in rural areas showed its first increase since the Famine. We bucked the trend which was both historical and international. No one from rural areas doubts that supporting and investing in smaller rural schools has been central to this. Keeping these schools and upgrading them was not done in the name of administrative efficiency but because the richness and diversity of Irish community life is worth protecting. In the overall context, the money involved has been a tiny fraction of the State spending but the impact has been very positive and progressive.

As 47% of the 3,200 primary schools in the State have five teachers or fewer, the huge impact the staffing schedules will have is evident. Last June the Minister said that in considering any policy change on small schools, the Department would consider a number of wider dimensions other than simply the cost of running small schools. Our position has always been that it is about increasing the education return to communities from these schools and not about finding ways of rationalising them. We believe these schools provide value for money.

The Minister has referred in this House to small schools mainly having a more favourable pupil-teacher ratio than larger schools. This is not comparing like with like. Teachers in small schools have pupils of different ages and different grades in their classroom. It is not true to claim there would be a gradual increase in the pupil-teacher ratio in small schools. These changes represent a dramatic increase. For example, a Gaeltacht school will now need 83 pupils instead of 76 pupils to qualify for four teachers this year. The new retention figures published by the Department are inequitable. A large school with 12 teachers needs another 28 pupils to become a 13-teacher school. However, a two-teacher school that wants to become a three-teacher school this September will need an additional 37 pupils, while a three-teacher school looking to become a four-teacher school will need an additional 30 pupils. Why are small schools punished in comparison with larger schools? These new retention figures will, in fact, make it more difficult for the smaller schools to expand.

The advice by the Department to small schools "to consider their future" and "to assess their options for amalgamation" is clearly a stark message. The changes are blunt in nature and the forced cuts are based on numbers alone, without any consideration for the school's ethos, the geography of a particular area or the impact on the community of removing such a key amenity. These cuts will have a disproportionate and severe impact on minority faith schools such as Church of Ireland schools and also on Gaeltacht schools and gaelscoileanna. This is also completely at odds with the Minister's efforts to widen patronage in our education system through the forum on patronage and pluralism. This is going in the exact opposite direction of what the Minister is trying to achieve in the patronage area. There are 200 Protestant primary schools in the State. Some 65% of Church of Ireland schools will be affected by the changes announced by the Minister. There are also serious issues for gaelscoileanna and schools in the Gaeltacht area.

This cannot just be about value for money and achieving savings. Research has shown that children do well in these schools and that the social and emotional development of children in small schools is stronger. While multi-grade and multi-class teaching has its challenges, there are considerable learning positives to grouping children of different ages and different grades together. The Department statistics indicate that approximately 40% of all primary school pupils are taught in multi-class situations. Even in a one-grade class there is always a considerable range of abilities, maturity and needs. No two children can be considered as being at the same level in all areas.

The small school provides a sense of belonging where each child is valued for his or her unique qualities. In the big schools, unfortunately, a pupil can easily be lost in the crowd. Multi-class teaching brings together children of different ages and development. While very few studies have been done in Ireland on the efficacy of small schools, the results of the limited number of studies done to date all come to the same conclusions as the international studies. International research has shown that students taught in multigrade and multiclass situations are on a par academically with those taught in single grade classrooms. Research has shown that there is no discernible difference in academic performance between multigrade and single grade pupils. The Ofstead report of recent years demonstrates this clearly. Research also shows that smaller schools have greater parental involvement.

I appeal to the Minister, as I did during Question Time in the House recently, to provide clarity with regard to the appeals mechanism. During Question Time I cited cases of schools that will lose teachers because of the retrospective element and the 30 September 2011 enrolment criteria. This retrospective element will be especially harsh for many schools come this September when they will lose a teacher for one year unless there are changes. I appeal to the Department and the Minister to change these criteria.

The Department should also allow schools to amalgamate learning support resource teaching hours rather than have the farcical situation of people needlessly travelling between schools. Surely there should be local autonomy in respect of the school roster and not centralisation. The system in place until the recent announcement worked well at local level from an efficiency point of view. The importance of our small schools must be recognised and the uncertainty created must be removed. I call on the Government to deal with this quickly and to rescind these retrograde changes to the staffing schedules. I am sharing my time with Deputies Éamon Ó Cuív and Charlie McConalogue.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this issue. I wish to begin with some simple statistics. No doubt the Minister will go into his usual talk about the country being in receivership and so on.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Is that not a fact?

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The fact is that in 2006, during the height of the Celtic tiger, the Minister of the day had €7.888 billion to deal with. Of that, a total of €1.673 billion was spent on primary school salaries. In 2012, the Minister's gross estimate is larger, at more than €8.62 billion, and the Minister has €2 billion for primary school salaries. Therefore, the Minister has a large pot to play with and the decisions the Minister has made are those he chose to make because this is the way he wishes to see the future. The Minister let the cat out of the bag when he issued the document before me on the night of the budget. It states clearly that the long-cherished dream of the Department of Education and Skills to amalgamate small schools has a champion in the Minister, who has no comprehension of the nature of rural society.

It is a conscious ploy to use the excuse of money to fulfil a policy that will destroy a good deal of the fabric of rural Ireland. Before I go into the main issue I wish to outline some of the sneaky cuts. I understand the Minister changed the rule on sharing learning support and resource teachers. The sensible thing to do in order to keep travelling down would be to allow schools to add learning support hours and resource teacher hours together and, perhaps, to have one teacher shared between two schools rather than two teachers shared between four schools. If there were any concerns for the carbon footprint, this represents the most bizarre proposal yet. There has been a change in the general allocation of learning support hours from being based on the number of pupils in a school to being based on the number of teachers, the result of which is to make it harder to keep the teachers and a double whammy effect on learning support hours.

Let us consider the main issue. What is the Minister trying to do? He is trying to hit rural communities, minority religion communities agus na ceantracha Gaeltachta. For some reason, these have been in the Minister's sights. At the same time, when one considers the Minister's budget, it appears the schools that escape the cuts are basically the large, advantaged schools throughout the country. The Minister has preserved and protected these. To ensure they suffer no cuts, the Minister has decided that rural schools should take the hit.

The Minister is entitled to make his policy and we are entitled to oppose it. I put it to the Minister that the anger in the rural communities is such that this will not be forgotten. This is seen by rural communities, for whom I have worked all my adult life, as a direct attack on their viability. The reality is that the Minister is trying to take small schools including two-teacher schools and make them into one-teacher schools. We all know that syndrome. When a school becomes a one-teacher school, the parents chose to send their children to the next two or three-teacher school and the one-teacher school closes. The idea is that amalgamations are voluntary but it is with a gun at one's back and one is told to walk.

If the Minister had consulted with any of us who have worked in rural development we could have told him that when one closes the small school, the community withers and dies. People will tend to live near to where there is a primary school. Therefore, the Minister is trying to force the closure or death of small communities throughout the country. If the Minister does not believe me, I will bring him to certain areas and I will show him what happened following the closure of schools in the 1960s and 1970s. We learned our lesson from that time and we know that where there is no school, there is no community and the community tends to go downhill.

The reason for doing this is rather bizarre. If there is a problem with education - the Minister has considerable problems - it is in the urban areas where the Minister has put in vast resources. As a result of spatial planning policies, the Government favours a scenario whereby everyone is urbanised. Areas of social deprivation then materialise with no value on education in them and where between 10% and 20% of the children get a third level education. If the Minister does not believe me because he comes from Dublin 4, I will show him parts of Dublin with which I am very familiar.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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So does Deputy Ó Cuív. He need not throw "rural Ireland" at me. Deputy Ó Cuív was born and educated in Dublin 4.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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Deputy Ó Cuív was born in Dublin 4.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Exactly. I was and I have seen both sides of the world. I grew up in a privileged part of this city but my children went to school in rural Ireland and I know the success that they and their cohort had from the small schools. This is exactly the point I was going to make to the Minister. If I go to the leafy suburbs of south County Dublin, some 70% to 75% of school children might get to third level. If, however, we go to Cherry Orchard and Ballymun and such areas one would be lucky to get 20% progressing from these areas, having put in vast resources. However, if one goes to rural Ireland, one finds that it compares well with the top areas in Dublin in respect of access to third level with in excess of 70% of school children getting to third level because of the educational values of the parents in rural Ireland.

The Minister is trying to kill the successful communities and he does not realise what he is doing. If the Minister does not realise what he is doing, I beg him to find out because, as I have pointed out, rural depopulation follows the closure of the small school. Anyone not familiar with that syndrome should make themselves familiar with it.

I wish to comment on two other issues. In this country we have always said that we have treated our minorities in a fair and equitable way. Like the Minister, I grew up in an area with a large number of people of the Church of Ireland faith and I am absolutely surprised and stunned at this attack on the Church of Ireland community in Ireland. All the Protestant communities have small schools throughout the country, the largest being the Church of Ireland but there are Presbyterian and other schools as well. I am surprised at the Minister, who has always said he is open and tolerant, taking the big stick against these schools.

Maidir le na scoileanna Gaeltachta, tá dualgas ar an Rialtas i leith na Gaeilge. Is dualgas bunreachtúil é agus is dualgas é an Ghaeilge a chaomhnú agus a fhorbairt. Muna dtaitníonn sin leis an tAire, tá sé chomh maith aige dul agus reifreann a rith, mar an fhad agus go bhfuil an Ghaeilge mar céad teanga oifigiúil agus mar theanga náisiúnta sa Bhunreacht, dar leis na hArd-Aighní gur dualgas ar an Stát an Ghaeilge a chaomhnú agus a neartú. Leis an ionsaí atá an tAire ag déanamh ar na scoileanna Gaeltachta, tá sé ag iarraidh an Ghaeltacht mar atá sí a scrios. Tá go leor brúnna ar an Ghaeltacht ar ndóigh mar atá cúrsaí i láthair na huaire, ach tá an tAire ag cur le na brúnna sin. Tá sé in am ath-smaoineamh a dhéanamh ar an pholasaí sin freisin agus déanamh cinnte go dtugtar tacaíocht agus cúnamh agus go bhfágfar na scoileanna beaga Gaeltachta, cuid acu atá sna Gaeltachtaí is láidre sa tír, le na múinteoirí atá acu.

Ba bhreá liom go leor eile a rá anseo anocht, ach faraor géar, níl an t-am agam mar tá an oiread sin daoine as Fianna Fáil ag iarraidh labhairt ar an ábhar seo. Tá botún mór á dhéanamh má cheapann an tAire, Páirtí an Lucht Oibre agus muintir Fhine Gael go ndéanfaidh pobal na tuaithe dearmad ar seo. Ní dhéanfaidh siad dearmad ar choíche agus seasfaidh siad an fód agus troidfidh siad in aghaidh na gcinntí seo.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I commend our education spokesperson on bringing forward this motion, because it is one which goes to the heart of many rural communities across the country. It is the rural areas this will hit hardest. What the Minister is doing in his budget is forcing the bulk of the cuts on the schools and pupils who need help most and on those rural areas throughout the country that need additional assistance.

In defending these cuts over recent weeks, the Minister has often referred to the fact there is inequity in terms of smaller schools having a better pupil-teacher ratio than schools with larger numbers of students. There is a reason for that, namely that it is more difficult for a teacher and a school with a small number of teachers to ensure students get the support they need. The Minister and most people may never have attempted to teach three or four classes in one, but it is a difficult job to do. It is for that reason it is necessary to have enhanced pupil-teacher ratios in smaller schools. I understand this may not go down well when the Minister sits with the Department of Finance mandarins to assess how the Minister will spread his budget for the year ahead but it is essential that these resources are maintained. The Minister has looked at this and decided that because it costs more to educate a student and provide a better pupil-teacher ratio in schools and areas where there are smaller numbers of teachers and students but that is no reason to make it policy to go ahead and take the initiatives he is taking.

I know the Minister has said that he does not intend to close down any schools. I would like to remind him of a response I received from him to a parliamentary question in recent days regarding schools facing into losing teachers next year. He said:

The phasing in of these measures can provide the schools concerned with time to consider the potential for amalgamation with other schools where this is feasible. If amalgamations take place, they will be voluntary and follow decisions taken by local communities and not by my Department.

What the Minister is saying here is that the objective of his cuts is to force these schools to look at amalgamation and to force them to give up the position they hold so dearly, namely the opportunity to maintain the school they have and to continue to have students educated in their local community. Yet, the Minister comes out with the headline that he will not close any school. That is a disingenuous and inaccurate approach. What underlines and is behind the policy decisions the Minister has made in his budget is a policy that will lead to the closure of schools.

Along with these cuts, the Minister also proposes changes to rural transport and he is doubling the cost per student for transport to school, despite the fact that many of the Labour Party and Fine Gael backbenchers and candidates in the most recent election made commitments to schools across the country that they would reverse proposed changes in rural transport and not increase the cost of sending pupils to school. They also promised not to go ahead with changes to the "closed" school rule with regard to transport nor with changes that are due to come into place in September, whereby siblings of pupils from a family who historically and in recent years attended one school will be forced to attend another school because the one to which they have transport is not the closest to them. The intention to increase the numbers needed to qualify for transport to school will also have an impact. It is being made more difficult for people from rural areas to ensure their children are educated in their local school.

Teachers are afraid to talk openly about the fact that it is the Minister's intention to reduce pupil-teacher ratios because by doing so they may be sending out a message to prospective parents in local areas that there is a threat over their school or that pupil-teacher ratios may decrease. The knock-on effect of that would be that parents intending to send their children to school for the first time, will consider another larger school further away. This feeds into the Minister's objective. I see him nodding to say that is exactly-----

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Deputy McConalogue has let the cat out of the bag.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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That is exactly the Minister's intention. He has let the cat out of the bag.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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No, the Deputy did.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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That is the Minister's intention. By doing this, he is sending the message to parents that this is what he wants to do. Although the Minister is not coming out and shutting the school today, he is setting in train actions that will achieve his objective and undermine the quality of education provided to students to help them continue to succeed as in the past.

I would like to show the Minister the importance of the measure he is taking to areas outside of the larger cities and indicate the impact it will have in places like my county of Donegal. Based on the 2010 enrolment figures, 101 schools out of 178 schools in Donegal could be affected by these changes. In south Donegal, 14 out of a total of 30 will be affected. In north Donegal, 37 out of 66 schools will be affected. In north east Donegal, 17 out of 32 will be affected and in west Donegal, some 33 out of 50 will be affected. That is the impact these cuts will have in Donegal and other rural areas.

I acknowledge, as we all do, the difficult budgetary situation facing the Minister and the country, but there are certain things we must prioritise, in particular health and education. However, it seems that with the cuts the Minister is making this year, he is choosing to attack rural areas and rural schools. By phasing in his cuts over the next number of years, he is setting the tone of what is to come. I urge him to reconsider and to go back to the drawing board with his proposals. I urge him, to review this, along with other decisions he has made and along with the review he is doing of DEIS schools. He should go back and find other ways of dealing with this and ensure that our primary schools and our four-teacher, three-teacher and two-teacher schools in rural areas are protected and that we do not see an erosion of the quality of education under his stewardship. He should reverse these proposed cuts.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I commend our education spokesperson, Deputy Brendan Smith, for putting forward this motion tonight. It goes to the heart of every rural community. Schools right across the country are very concerned with these decisions in respect of four, three and two teacher schools. It is vitally important that we stand back and look at what these schools have contributed over the generations since education was established in these communities. Since the 1960s and 1970s, there has always been a determination shown by the Department of Education and Skills to amalgamate schools, and it must be said that this policy has failed. Across the US, the UK and places where amalgamation policies have been pursued, reports have shown that these policies were wrong. The urbanisation of society is causing a lot more harm than good.

There are communities across the country that are concerned about the future of their schools, which have provided excellent education for generations of people. If we look at the people who have come into the public service and across the spectrum who have done very well, they often have come from these schools. The budget has made an attempt at attacking them and the fundamentals of what they have. Over the last number of weeks, many schools in my own constituency have been in contact with us about how the budget will affect them, not just in September 2012, but in September 2013, 2014 and beyond, which will affect the decisions they make about the schools to which they send their children. This goes back to the identity of children as they grow up in smaller rural communities. Instead of taking the facility from them, we should be further encouraging facilities.

The nonsense of what is being proposed is having a detrimental effect in a number of schools. Knocknagree national school in my own area had the numbers for four teachers on 30 September 2011, but because of the change in the budget, it will now be affected by a reduction of one teacher on 30 September 2012. Due to the projected enrolments in that community and the parish records and the information available to the school, we know that it will have the numbers for a four-teacher school in September 2013. That is a huge anomaly. The school will be losing a teacher for a particular year. That teacher will have been working in the school and will have built up a relationship with the local stakeholders in the school system but due to the decision by the Minster in the budget and due to the decision by the Department, this school will lose out. Even at this late stage, I would ask the Minister and his officials to look at that case. According to the school's own projections, there will be 36 in one classroom with three different classes, and that is not acceptable.

Many more school representatives, such as those of Milford and Lismire, have been in contact with me about how these changes will affect them. They have been in contact with the prospective parents in their communities and these parents are now asking how will they be affected in September 2012, 2013, 2014 and beyond. The future of these schools is worrying the school authorities, the parents and the wider community. I do not know whether the Minister understands the depth of feeling that is within rural communities about the identity that their schools give them. We have seen what urbanisation across the world has cost society in the long term, not just in education, but also in justice and in other things. The rural communities provide an excellent prototype to follow, and we should be supporting them. I ask the Minister to look at the nonsense that has caused a school to lose a teacher due to the new rules, even though the numbers were there on 30 September and they will be there again.

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I compliment Deputy Brendan Smith for putting down this motion and for giving us an opportunity to make a case on behalf of the smaller schools across the country. The Minister for Education and Skills has managed to upset all strands of education in the last month, such as DEIS schools, career guidance teachers and now primary schools. Many meetings have been held around the country, including in my own county where parents are up in arms about the decisions being taken by the Minister. I have attended many school openings over the last few years and I hope that when new schools are opened in Wexford in future, the Minister will be able to come and get involved. At the moment, there is alarm and concern about his actions in respect of the smaller primary schools.

We have to recognise that the primary schools are at the heart of the local community. They are the heartbeat of a parish. They are usually the feeder for the local GAA club, soccer club, youth clubs and all other aspects of community living. Long before I got involved in politics I saw schools being amalgamated and the village and community that lost the school lost their identity and their soul. It is very important that the Minister recognises that the school is very much the focal point for the community.

The Minister claims that small schools mainly have a more favourable pupil-teacher ratio than larger schools, but he is not comparing like with like. Teachers in small schools have pupils of all different ages and ability in their classroom. Small schools have been invited by the Department of Education and Skills to consider their future and assess their options for amalgamation. When the heavy-handed Department asks the small primary schools to consider their future, does that mean that they will be forced to close or forced to amalgamate? We have often seen in the past that when the Department decides to do something, its heavy hand is usually imposed and the Department gets its way. The Minister must clarify whether there will be forced amalgamations or whether it will happen by agreement. It should not happen at all. According to groups like the INTO and the IPPN, the idea seems to be to force smaller schools to amalgamate or close by making it more and more difficult for these schools to teacher larger groups, with fewer teachers having to teach more classes.

I was involved, along with other Deputies from Wexford, including the current Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, in the development of a small school in Ballyoughter in Gorey. Around €900,000 was spent two years ago on a small school in the area. The people involved raised money, the Department gave them money, and they built a new school, which has a small number of students. Is the Minister for Education and Skills going to force that school to amalgamate with Ballycanew, Camolin or some other adjoining parish? If that happens, we will have a €900,000 school lying idle in the future.

The Minister must step back from the decisions he is considering in this whole area. They have been announced without debate, consultation or agreement. If the crowds turning up to meetings around the country are anything to go by, then the Minister is in for a major fight on his hands. People want to retain schools in their own community as the heartbeat of the parish. It is important that the Minister recognises the importance of such schools and that he steps back from the proposals he has put forward in the last few weeks.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"— recognises that:

— at a time of great strain on our public finances, we have to ensure that the very valuable, but limited resources available to the education system are used in the best way possible; and

— public services, including schools, must continue to be an important part of the social fabric of rural communities;

— notes that:

— as part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools will be gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014;

— there are 3,200 primary schools across Ireland, of which over two thirds of those schools have more than 86 pupils and have much higher average class sizes than the small primary schools;

— small schools receive much more favourable capitation and other grant payments due to the practice of minimum payments: for example, schools receive a minimum capitation payment based on a 60 pupil enrolment, meaning that a school with 12 pupils receives the same capitation payment as a school with 60 pupils, in addition to the fact that construction costs per pupil for capital projects are much higher in small schools than in larger schools;

— at present, a two-teacher school with 12 pupils has an average class size of 1 teacher for 6 pupils, while in contrast, a typical ten-teacher school with 272 pupils has an average class size of 27.2 pupils;

— a value for money review on small primary schools is currently being finalised by the Department of Education and Skills, submissions for which, were invited from the public as part of a public consultation process during 2011 and a large number of responses were received;

— while the threshold for additional teachers in small schools will rise, a small school will still receive a second teacher with 14 pupils, a third teacher with 51 pupils and a fourth teacher with 83 pupils in September 2012; and

— as a result of these changes the average class sizes in small schools will still be as low as 7:1 in a two-teacher school, 17:1 in a three-teacher school and 20.75:1 in a four-teacher school in September 2012;

— acknowledges that:

— even when all of these phased increases are implemented, the threshold for small schools will still be significantly lower than the minimum of 28 pupils that was required for the appointment of a second teacher in schools prior to the mid-1990s;

— it is hoped that the three-year phasing in of this measure will allow communities the opportunity to debate the possibility of amalgamations or clustering arrangements within their communities;

— if amalgamations take place, they will be voluntary and follow decisions taken by local communities and not by the Department of Education and Skills; and

— the value for money review is part of the normal review processes undertaken by all Departments on an annual basis on selected areas of expenditure and is being conducted in line with the standard procedure for value for money reviews; and

— welcomes that:

— the Department of Education and Skills will be notifying schools in the coming weeks of the new staffing arrangements for the 2012/13 school year;

— small schools will continue to benefit from additional favourable supports as outlined above;

— the Budget measure relates to the allocation of teaching posts and is not a measure to close small schools;

— an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board is available to all schools as part of the allocation process each year; and

— in particular, this appeals mechanism will be available to those small schools which are projecting increased enrolments that would be sufficient to allow them to retain their existing classroom posts over the longer term."

I will share time with Deputies Colm Keaveney and Jim Daly.

It is important to recognise the overall financial and budgetary context in which Ireland is operating. We are relying on funding being provided through the EU-IMF programme of support for the provision of our day-to-day public services, including funding for our education system, as nobody else is willing to lend Ireland money at an affordable interest rate. It is also worth reminding the House that the extraordinarily difficult position in which we find ourselves has arisen from the catastrophic mistake by the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government to inextricably link sovereign debt, the debt of this Republic, with the debts of bankers and speculators when it introduced, in this Chamber, the ill fated bank guarantee in September 2008.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Frankfurt's way.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I know the Deputies opposite do not like the facts.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister does not like the truth.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Labour Party told us a different story in February last year.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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We would not be debating this or other cuts in public expenditure if the Fianna Fáil Party had lived up to its responsibilities in government. Years of profligate, irresponsible spending funded through debt and borrowing were matched by economic policies which cost the economy its competitiveness and reputation as a good place to do business. In 1997, when the coalition left government, Ireland had the most competitive economy in Europe. Look at where we are today. Everything that was done under the Fianna Fáil Government was subsumed to the higher aim of a cynical strategy geared at winning elections, at which the Fianna Fáil Party was very successful. I have no doubt its failed policies have landed us in the current economic mess. The biggest challenge facing the present Government is to step back from the edge of national insolvency.

Having brought our country to the verge of ruin, what does Fianna Fáil, which likes to style itself as a responsible Opposition party, do? I presume Deputy Crowe's party and other parties opposite are the irresponsible side of the Opposition.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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That is the first time we have been described in that manner.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Fianna Fáil acts as if we are in normal times, opposing virtually every measure the Government is required to take. One would be hard pressed to find constructive proposals from it to find savings in education, other than vague references to getting more out of the Croke Park agreement.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Vague words were all we heard from the Labour Party when it was in opposition.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Fianna Fáil Party is behaving like the Lady Macbeth of Irish politics, shouting: "Out damn'd spot! Out, I say!".

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has a short memory.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputies opposite should not provoke me through their heckling as I may get closer to the bone.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister should go for it.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Fianna Fáil does not come into this debate with clean political hands. As a former Minister for Education, the party's current leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, is aware that almost 80% of my budget is expended on pay and pensions. He also knows we must find places and teachers for the additional 70,000 primary and secondary school pupils who will avail of our school buildings over the next six years. The Deputy is also aware that we must reduce the numbers working in the public sector.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Why does the Government not burn the bondholders, as it promised to do?

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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The Fianna Fáil Party burned teachers when it reduced their pay by 13%.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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What members of the public would like to hear from Fianna Fáil is where it suggests savings in jobs and expenditure can be made in education. What teaching posts would it suppress, what grants would it reduce or abolish and what other measures would it take? It cannot pretend it does not have the basic data on which to base its recommendations, as it was long enough in government to know how the education system is staffed and funded. I await its recommendations with interest but without expectations.

In the meantime, it is essential that we close the funding gap between what we take in from taxation and what we spend on our day-to-day services. Let us get our heads around the figures, which I must repeatedly put up on the blackboard for some slow learners to understand. This year, the gap between income and expenditure will amount to €18 billion, which is almost double the entire budget for the Department of Education and Skills. Last December's budget will, it is hoped, close the gap by a further €3.8 billion and reduce our deficit to 8.6% of GDP by the end of the year. To meet the conditions of the memorandum of understanding, which the Fianna Fáil-led Government placed around the neck of this Republic, we must reduce the 8.6% GDP deficit to 3% by 2015. Unless we get a bounce in economic growth through a recovery in the euro and exports, we will face a difficult budget next year and in 2014, regardless of which parties are in government. We cannot be under any illusion about the serious position in which we find ourselves. As I have stated on many occasions, our finances must be put on a sustainable footing in order that we can re-enter the financial markets to continue to fund our public services and restore our country's economic and social well-being.

Achieving savings in my Department's budget has required very difficult decisions to be made, particularly at a time when the school-going population is increasing. We want to be as fair as possible in making the required decisions. A key part of our overall budgetary strategy is a requirement under the employment control framework to reduce the public sector payroll. Reductions in the public service pay bill and staffing numbers will continue to play a part in expenditure consolidation. Given that one third of all public sector employees work in the education sector, it is simply not possible to completely exempt staffing levels in education from the Government's need to reduce expenditure.

The budget which was agreed in December was challenging for all of us. We made difficult decisions and, as I intimated, further difficult budgets will be introduced next year and the year thereafter. However, there is also hope. Only last week, the National Treasury Management Agency successfully returned to the bond market ahead of time, albeit temporarily. This is the first sign that markets believe we will be able to stand on our own two feet by the end of the programme. We need to build on this as a Government and to continue working to get people back to work, protect those who cannot afford to pay their debts and build upon all of the best features of our education system.

Let me address the issue of rural communities. I have heard much comment in recent weeks suggesting there is an urban-rural divide in Irish politics and the budgetary measures enacted by this Government amount to an attack on rural Ireland.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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That is what it looks like.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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This little island of ours, with its relatively small population, has been riven by divisions of one kind or another for the past 200 to 300 years. We do not need a new, manufactured and artificial division.

I may represent an urban constituency but nobody could fail to appreciate the importance of rural communities to our society. Small rural communities are a cornerstone of our heritage and it is essential that modern Ireland continues to recognise their importance. In recent years they have been threatened, not by overt political action but the ever increasing trend towards urbanisation on all five Continents.

Agriculture is no longer our dominant industry, although I am pleased to note it is thriving again.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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It has received great support.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In many rural communities, the school, Protestant and Catholic churches, GAA club and local shop are the institutions on and around which the community is built. These are foundations we must seek to protect. However, the continuing trend towards urbanisation continues to pose a threat to these foundations and it is one that we cannot ignore. Between 1963 and 1973, two revered leaders of the Fianna Fáil Party, Seán Lemass and, subsequently, Jack Lynch, closed 1,000 one and two teacher schools in rural areas. In 1992, the then Minister for Education, the late Séamus Brennan, had a policy to amalgamate all schools with four teachers or fewer. We have been here before and the Deputies opposite were Members of this House at the time.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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We refurbished 400 schools in the past ten years.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In many communities the urbanisation trend has already resulted in the closure of the rural shop or pub. We must have a genuine conversation about the role that can be played by rural schools and how we can reshape our school system to ensure these communities are supported and maintained. Let us have this debate in the context of the second decade of the 21st century. Let us examine what is taking place across the water or north of the Border where the Minister for Education, Mr. John O'Dowd of Sinn Féin, is contemplating closing upwards of 100 schools because of rural depopulation. Last Monday week, I participated in a conference with the chief inspectors of schools in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic. Communities in all four jurisdictions, as well as in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, must try to square the circle of maintaining rural communities in the modern age by delivering education and recognising the changes that are taking place.

We must look at the reality of what is happening. Unlike the King Lear of Fianna Fáil, Deputy Ó Cuív, we cannot turn to the tide of urbanisation and say it is not coming in. Let us see how we can deal with it and do the sort of things he wants to do.

This debate gives me an opportunity to state categorically that this measure - the change in the pupil-teacher ratio - is not about closing schools, which I have acknowledged play an important part in our communities, particularly in rural areas. In the budget, there was no increase in the general average of the pupil-teacher ratio of 28:1 in our primary schools, something for which many people had called. However, the budget included a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. The only thing that is changing for small schools is that their average class sizes will no longer be as advantageous as they have been in the past due to the phased increases in the pupil thresholds in the staffing schedule.

The existing staffing appeals process will be accessible to small schools, in particular those schools which are projecting increased enrolments that would be sufficient to allow them to retain their existing classroom posts over the longer term. The details on how the appeals system will operate will be made clear as part of my Department's forthcoming circular. It will issue shortly to all schools on the staffing arrangements for the 2012-13 school year.

It is not sustainable - the Deputies opposite know this very well no matter what part of rural or urban Ireland in which they live - for the Department of Education and Skills to continue to provide a second classroom teacher to a school that has 12 pupils. Can anyone honestly say that we can afford to have a staffing schedule threshold that provides for a full-time classroom teacher with an average as low as six pupils per classroom? That is a better pupil-teacher ratio than for children with special needs in special schools. Is that what the Deputies opposite are defending? Of course, some teachers in these small schools will call for these exceptionally favourable arrangements to continue but how fair is this to the taxpayer or, indeed, to their teaching colleagues in the same union and in medium to larger schools, some of whom must teach 30 or more pupils in their classrooms?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thought the Minister told us not to divide people.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Even when all of the phased increases are implemented, the threshold for a second teacher at 20 pupils - that is 1:10 if one evens it out - will still be significantly lower than the minimum of 28 pupils that was required for the appointment of the second teacher in rural schools prior to the late 1990s. The extremely favourable staffing provision for small schools was put in place when resources were plentiful and at a time of demographic dividend when enrolments were falling. This is no longer possible given our budgetary constraints and rapidly rising school population which, in itself, is a good thing.

I know that no school likes to lose a teacher and that the INTO and teachers like small classes. However, it is wrong for a desire to preserve the status quo in teacher numbers and class sizes to result in anxiety in local communities over the future of their schools. Let me say it loud and clear again to Deputy McConalogue and the other Deputies opposite that this measure is not about closing small schools. When the staffing schedule operated on much higher levels in the 1990s, we did not have a plethora of small schools closing.

There are situations where schools might of their own choosing decide to amalgamate, as many have done in the past with good outcomes. I would like to encourage communities to have conversations about whether this is possible or, indeed, appropriate. The changes announced in the budget are being phased in over three years to allow for those measured and timely conversations. The Department will be available to engage with all schools and communities which wish to make proposals about potential amalgamations or clustering arrangements between schools.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Back to the hedge schools.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Last Friday, speaking at the Irish Primary Principals Network Conference, I undertook to enter into discussions with it about international research and possible 21st century options for small rural schools which exist in different countries and situations.

Small schools close but that is because of a loss of pupils. Small primary schools which have had to face closure in recent years were those which were no longer viable due to falling enrolments. The enrolment in such schools had typically fallen below an average of - wait for it - eight pupils for two consecutive school years. That is the level to which one had to go before the school had to close. School communities should have no reason to feel that there will be a forced closure of their local school. If any school community thinks otherwise, my Department will engage with the school patron and board of management on the issue and address any concerns they have.

When speaking last week at the Irish Primary Principals' Network annual conference, I made clear to it that the budget measure on small schools will be proceeding as planned. The measure will stand but the Department is open to considering any practical and workable proposals that will bring about greater efficiencies in the management and governance arrangements for small schools. The Department will engage with the relevant stakeholders on this issue.

The Deputies will be aware that a value for money review on small primary schools is currently under way in the Department. This covers approximately 600 schools which have 50 pupils or less - virtually one third of the total number of schools we have.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has pre-empted it.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Incidentally, this review was initiated by the previous Government, of which Deputy Calleary was a member-----

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister did not wait for it.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Those opposite started it.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister wrote the final chapter.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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It is part of the normal processes undertaken by all Departments on selected areas of expenditure and is being conducted in line with the standard procedure for value for money reviews. As the report was initiated by a Fianna Fáil Minister, I trust the party will not now respond by creating fear among communities about a process it initiated. I expect that the report of the review should be available to me in the next eight weeks. When it is available, it will be published and considered by all of us. If the Deputies like, we can have a debate about it in this House.

Among the issues which will be taken into account in that debate are questions such as availability of diversity of provision, ethos of schools, parental choice, the language of instruction, travel distances, transport costs and the impact of schools on dispersed rural communities. These are problems which are not unique to Ireland. They are being faced by our neighbours in the North and across the water on the island of Britain. The review will examine the locations of small schools relative to each other and to other schools of a similar type. It will also examine the costs of running small schools and the educational outcomes associated with small schools.

It is also necessary to consider the needs of local communities and wider social and cultural factors. Public consultations were conducted as part of the review in order to obtain the views of stakeholders. A very large response was received and a common theme from the submissions from the public on the review was the important role which we, on this side of the House, recognise rural schools play in the social fabric of rural communities. This is something of which we are all fully aware.

The value for money review is simply about evaluating all the facts to inform future policy in this area. Educational quality for the students must be one of the main criteria in any consideration of primary school size. However, it is important that staffing levels in our small schools are set at an affordable and sustainable level, in particular in these very difficult and challenging times.

I am sure many Deputies have fond memories of their own time in small schools when class sizes were much larger. I suggest they are more likely to remember the name of their school principal or teacher and the quality of education they provided rather than the number of pupils who sat beside them in the classroom. When the review is published, I intend to lay it before the Houses to give Deputies and Senators an opportunity to debate it.

As a member of the Labour Party, building and protecting our public services has always been one of our core beliefs. However, we also have to ensure that our public services are affordable and sufficiently flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of Ireland in the second decade of the 21st century. In essence, we have to be able to achieve more with less, which every household in the country is currently battling to do.

The Government is committed to achieving the necessary savings in public spending required by reducing the overall number of public servants. That means improving our health system with fewer nurses and doctors, maintaining our infrastructure with fewer engineers, and educating our children with fewer teachers. At a time of great strain on our public finances, we have to ensure that the valuable but limited resources available to the education system are used in the best possible way. As we have stated in the amendment to the motion, the Government is trying, as best as possible, to protect front line services in the education sector at a time of rapidly rising enrolments.

I reject the sensationalist claims contained in the Opposition motion. I also reject the sensationalist noises that are coming from certain meetings around the country where facts are not part of the discourse.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Recently in a Sunday newspaper, a journalist wrote that watching Fianna Fáil was a bit like watching children in the schoolyard jumping up and down saying "Na, na, na, na - ye can't clean up our mess". It is apt and appropriate tonight watching the calibre of the debate from across the floor of the House.

I am a proud west Cork man, who was born and reared in Drinagh in the heart of rural Ireland. I have no desire to see any facility closed, be it a school, post office or corner shop.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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You had better get ready for it.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I have listened intently to many parents in my own constituency who have serious fears about this measure. I understand that this is a progressive development in many instances, but there are situations where a "one cap fits all" approach will unfairly affect some isolated rural communities. To this end, I have already requested from the Minister that a provision be entered into school staffing appeals to accommodate exceptional cases, such as a school in my own constituency in Kilcrohane, County Cork, which if reduced to a one-teacher school would close and require a daily commute in excess of 28 miles. I welcome the Minister's confirmation therefore that the staffing appeals schedule will examine exceptional cases that will be affected.

Notwithstanding the need for an appeals mechanism to avoid excessive hardship for a limited number of schools, I welcome the initiative announced, based on the following. In an ideal world, any classroom should have no more than two classes in it. That requires a minimum of four teachers, which is for good teaching and good learning.

The teaching of special needs children is close to my own heart. In this difficult budget, I commend the Minister for protecting special needs resources. Time is wasted when special needs teachers must traverse the countryside from one small school to another, during a limited number of hours. Time would not be wasted if schools came together to consolidate their resources.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is not in school now.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Order please.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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If Deputies listened, they might learn something.

As a result of the recent budget, a principal can now teach resources and special needs. That measure is welcome for teachers in small schools who teach resources one-on-one and also have to do administration. It works in larger schools with adequate staff numbers.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy should list the schools he would be happy to see close.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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There is no such thing as a bad or good school but there are weaker or better teachers. A small school with a weak teacher will result in having such a teacher for four years or the equivalent of half the primary school cycle.

As far back as 1966, an OECD report entitled "Investment in Education" challenged the feasibility of one and two-teacher schools in Ireland, citing their high cost per pupil, and the perceived shortcomings in educational resources and outcomes. In 1991, the OECD encouraged the amalgamation of schools, so as to have no fewer than four teachers in any school for good learning and teaching.

I have studied the inter-school report prepared on small schools by Alan Sigworth. He referred to school clustering standing out as the major innovation in the provision of in-service education and school development in sparsely populated areas. This offers a chance to rural communities to consolidate what they have going for them in rural education. The reality in many parishes is that two, three or four schools are competing for resources and students, while enrolment numbers are being forced down by demographics. They will eventually all close over a five to ten-year period. This is a chance for them to consolidate and ensure the future of education in rural Ireland. My desire is to see a parish-based board of management taking a strategic long-term look at the future educational needs of the parish, as opposed to having four separate school boards of management all looking inward instead of outwards to the future.

A recent study I undertook of enrolment trends in parishes in my constituency showed that since 1990 there has been very little change in the number of pupils attending primary schools. However, millions of euro have been spent on extensions and pre-fabs, while empty classrooms remain in many schools.

I largely support this proposal and accept that, while not ideal, it is the lesser of the evils involved. I welcome the fact that special needs resources have not been reduced in the coming year. When it comes to saving money in an education system that has 80% of its budget protected by the Croke Park agreement, I note with great suspicion the frenzied efforts of a minority of teachers to turn this issue into a protest, while refusing to acknowledge that the proposal will save €14 million. This is a paltry sum compared to the potential savings of €42 million over the next two years if pay increases to teachers were to be paused. There is a blatant hypocrisy on the part of a minority of teachers, so I ask them to fess up and deal with the reality.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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I was recently impressed by comments from the deputy leader of Fianna Fáil at a public meeting in Ballinalsoe on the issue of rural schools. I now appreciate that the comments he made that night were well informed, based on his contribution to a Green Paper when he was first elected in 1992. Entitled "Education in a Changing World", it proposed Fianna Fáil's objective to ensure that the smallest number of teachers in a rural school would be four. That document planned to eliminate through amalgamation all one, two and three-teacher schools.

Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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Fianna Fáil were way ahead of themselves.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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I now recognise the informed contribution that has been made in that respect.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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We did not do it. That was 20 years ago and it did not happen.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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It can also be said with some justification that the current Minister for Finance and the Irish people face a greater challenge in many respects than that faced by the first Minister for Finance in this country. I am sure that the thinking and listening Minister for Education and Skills would have wished for better times. His vision for education could have been realised in full, but none of us gets to choose the times we live in or the external challenge we must face. Instead, we must face the test that time presents us with, using courage, honesty and a calm rational approach. We should not engage in empty rhetoric on the rural schools issue.

The education budget, which represents around 17% of current Government expenditure, is a significant proportion of our revenue. To put it in context, at over €8 billion, it is the equivalent of under half the gap between current Government expenditure and revenue. Over the course of the next three years, we will see posts lost in rural schools. I welcome Deputy McConalogue's conversion to the protection of both education and health. In the last year of the Fianna Fáil Government, it had dismissed more HSE staff than will be lost through attrition in the next five years in rural schools. In its last year in government, Fianna Fáil fired 500 health workers in HSE west.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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And the Deputy will double that.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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That puts into context the intention of the Minister for Education and Skills to protect the most vulnerable people in our society in difficult times. Savings cannot be made without the pain the Opposition has imposed on this country but we will do it by consultation with all key stakeholders, including patrons, parents, local communities and teachers.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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That is why the teachers are up in the Visitors Gallery.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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Front line workers in education will not suffer a 15% pay reduction as Fianna Fáil inflicted on communities.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Why do not give back the 15%?

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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This Government is committed to protecting the Croke Park agreement today and the protection of teachers' pay tomorrow. However, pay makes up 80% of the total spend in education so cuts have to be found somewhere. The INTO is in danger of playing into the hands of Fianna Fáil, which cut 15% of their members' pay in the past, by seeming to refuse to engage constructively in a discussion on how to manage the current need to cut expenditure while ensuring that the quality of our education is not affected. Doing so would make the case for further pay cuts inevitable and that is the real plan of this motion.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Where do the children come into this?

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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Even after the changes in threshold for small primary schools are implemented, the average pupil teacher ratio in a two-teacher school will be 7:1, or 17:1 in a three-teacher school. As a father of three school-going children, and as someone from a rural area, I am sensitive to the decisions that are taken with regard to small schools. A calm, rational debate is needed, examining all options, including some in the Fianna Fáil policy of 1992, such as amalgamations, the idea of shared services and the idea of super principals across a range of schools, and the idea that schools could collectively purchase in order to get a better outcome for the children. The gradual nature of a planned change will give schools, communities and stakeholders the opportunity to consider the options are listed by the Minister.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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What about refurbishment and new schools?

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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The idea of looking at clusters of schools that will work together and serve the needs of the area by providing a choice for parents and maximising the opportunity for efficiencies. This will ensure that the quality of education will be at the forefront of the Government thoughts.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I ask Deputy Keaveney to conclude.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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I conclude by commending the Government amendment to the House.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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It is clear that many of the budget decisions being forced on schools will have far-reaching implications for the Irish education sector. The Government sought to impose austerity measures and to disregard the effects this will have on children and their futures. The Minister and his Government colleagues have made political choices that include paying billions of euros into zombie banks and budget choices that have led to the targeting of some of this State's most vulnerable citizens. The decision to cut resources from DEIS schools; the loss of school guidance counsellors and changes to the staffing schedules in one, two, three and four-teacher schools are some of these choices. They come at a time when rural communities are trying to absorb the loss of young people through mass immigration, the loss of community halls, clubs, post offices and Garda stations as well as village shops, public houses and other small businesses.

In the rush to reduce budgets, the quality of our children's education is being greatly compromised and the views of teachers, communities and parents largely ignored. The OECD, as far back as 1991, acknowledged the importance of small schools in ensuring the sustainability and regeneration of rural Ireland. One of its key conclusions was that educational quality not school size should be the main criterion for rationalisation. In the mid-1960s, a sustained amalgamation policy was implemented by the then Fianna Fáil Government. During a seven-year period, the number of one and two-teacher schools was reduced by approximately 1,100. The decline of many rural communities was blamed on the policy of forced school amalgamations and closures. This Government now stands on the brink of replicating that policy.

The 2009 report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes made several recommendations that included the amalgamations of 659 schools with fewer than 50 pupils, eliminating 300 teaching posts. The amalgamations of 851 schools in the 50-100 pupil category was also on the table, which would result in an estimated loss of 200 teaching posts. The conclusions reached in the report disregarded the established criteria for amalgamation including the educational needs of the children, the rights of parents and the adverse effects on the cultural, social and demographic life of small communities.

Collectively, we are urging the Government to take a more holistic approach to this issue. Alternatives to amalgamating and closing schools must be considered. These should include examining ways of repopulating existing schools rather than constantly expanding overcrowded larger schools, where children are often taught in unsuitable or temporary accommodation. Many rural schools are situated in isolated areas and are far apart. Budget changes will force children to travel longer distances when hard-pressed families have seen transport costs double in the past year.

The Government has handed down a decree that will force some schools to close or amalgamate. What provision has been made to facilitate this change in strategy? Have plans been put in place to provide new buildings? Have potential sites been identified? Are sections of the Department talking to each other on this point?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Yes.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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That is a major worry. Will suitable buildings be provided if there is an agreement between schools to amalgamate? It does not seem to be in the programme and it needs to be done. There has not been joined-up thinking between the branches of the Department with the responsibility for ensuring schools have the capacity to join together. How will existing schools cope with increased classroom sizes and an influx of additional pupils?

The budget reality is that the discretionary ratio for Gaeltacht schools is gone. This will mean the minimum number of pupils required for a fourth teacher goes from 81 to 83. In Gaeltacht areas, where the minimum was 76 pupils, schools now need 83 pupils to qualify for a fourth teacher. This increases to 86 by 2014 for all schools, meaning the increase in Gaeltacht areas will be ten pupils compared to five pupils in other areas. I share the concerns of other speakers about minority denominations. They need to be treated with particular sensitivity, particularly in respect of staffing posts and proposed amalgamations.

Sinn Féin does not oppose amalgamations, particularly if they are carried out with the express wishes of the school community. There are examples of successful mergers that improved the school environment for pupils and enhanced their educational attainment. Value for money cannot be the primary consideration that influences policy. The financial costs associated with providing a network of accessible schools should be carried out in conjunction with improving existing community facilities and as part of a strategy to enhance the social fabric of rural areas. This is particularly important when we consider the amount of State resources that have already been invested upgrading rural schools.

Other options need to be considered, including the clustering of small schools. Whole school evaluation reports provide compelling evidence that many small schools throughout the country meet the needs of students. Reports frequently refer to the family-like nature of support for pupils in small schools, with many described as effective in facilitating the development of pupils' self-confidence and self-belief. A further vindication of small schools is the regular reference to the high standards of teaching and learning in the curriculum. Comments such as "very good quality learning experiences", "high standards are reached in many areas of the curriculum, particularly in English and Mathematics" and "excellent use is made of ICT" are typical of the reports.

The vast majority of small schools are in very good condition because local communities take pride in their upkeep. Other studies indicate that small schools embrace reform agendas more quickly than big schools because they are, by their nature, less bureaucratic. Recent whole school evaluation reports frequently praise the special education and learning support provision in small schools. They highlight the high standard of care and attention that is provided to pupils with learning difficulties and special educational needs. This could be lost if small schools are forced to close and amalgamate.

I urge the Minister to recognise the importance of small schools in rural Ireland. Any viability assessment must have a greater remit than just short-term savings. Financial concerns, taken in isolation, are no justification for closing small schools and the Government needs to examine the adverse impact on the child who is forced to travel to a different environment. The importance of rural schools in maintaining community cohesion and the role they play in the preservation of local history, culture and folklore must be also considered. Every euro cut from the education budget reduces a child's prospects, harms his or her future life chances and jeopardises this country's chance of recovery.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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I listened to the Minister's speech and contributions from some of his Government colleagues. I heard them slag the proposers of the motion, Fianna Fáil, argue about party politics and warn the INTO not to give into the clutches of Fianna Fáil. I did not hear them talk about children. There has been a lot of focus on teachers who will lose their positions in school as a result-----

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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No teacher will lose his or her job.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Allow me to finish. There has been a lot of focus on the teachers who will lose their positions as a result of the changes introduced by the Minister. I will declare my interest. My wife is one of the teachers who will lose her position. The Minister is correct. No teacher will lose his or her job. The new recruits from Marino and St. Pat's will not be able to get a job as a result of what the Minister decision.

I want to speak about the many children throughout rural Ireland who will be most disadvantaged because of the Minister's decision. I do not want to focus on the slagging matches between the political parties about what this or that Government proposed to do. We need to focus on children's futures. I have two young boys in junior and senior infants in primary school. I hope to have other children who will follow them. Their school is fantastic. For ten years it was run down and on the schools building programme. Last year it got a €1.3 million injection. In September a closed sign will go on one of the newly refurbished state-of-the-art classrooms because the number of teachers will be reduced from four to three. There are many other similar schools.

I could tell the House about investments in schools in the Donegal Gaeltacht and other areas which have meant additional classrooms being built, only to have them close next September. This is about the future of children. In his speech to Minister said the only thing changing for small schools is that their average class sizes will no longer be as advantageous as they have been in the past. That is not true. My son and the sons and daughters of many other mothers and fathers will be in larger classrooms and have multiple classes as a result of the changes. It is not just about advantageous numbers.

Under the changes to the staffing schedule, by 2014 the Minister wants a two teacher school to have 28 pupils in each classroom. The figures for retention will be a total of 56, a class of 28 class and a class of 27. The teacher will have to stand up every day before 28 children, including those in junior infants, senior infants, first-class and second class, try to teach a jam-packed curriculum and hope the children will have the same opportunities as others. This is wrong. In a three teacher school, two classes will be made up of 28 pupils and one of 29. In my constituency 31 out of 42 primary schools will be adversely affected by the changes proposed by the Minister. It is not just teachers who will lose their positions, children will also lose the 0.2% learning support that has been allocated.

The Labour Party said it had to make these cuts because of budgetary constraints. I, more than most, know the difficulties this country faces in making a saving of €15 million over a full year. There are other ways to make savings. Every year €15 million leaves the State and goes to the European space programme to send people to the moon. I would rather we allowed our children to attend rural schools. It would be money more wisely spent and it would allow teachers to do what they are educated to do, namely, provide education for our young people to build the knowledge economy and help kickstart the economy.

The Minister asked for a conversation. The previous Minister, Mary Coughlan, started the review of small rural schools but the Minister has not waited for it. He has shown complete disrespect and pre-empted it. He makes no bones about the fact he wants to see small rural schools amalgamate. There are reasons small rural schools will close, such as a lack of pupils or shifting demographics which is the normal course. The Minister should not introduce policies that force small rural schools to consider amalgamation. He should be nurturing children and education.

These policies are regrettable. The Minister and his party have a proud track record - I use the term "record" very carefully because the decisions they have implemented in this budget are disastrous - in education in the past. The Minister is rolling back on the DEIS proposals. What the Minister is doing to rural schools is wrong and I ask him to reconsider.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I wish to share time with Deputy Healy.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I acknowledge what the Minister said in his speech about the reality of the situation he inherited. He has discussed savings. The previous Government had two schemes which, in the minds of many teachers, were a complete waste of money. One is the €5.6 million that went into setting up the Teaching Council which teachers did not want and the other was the money wasted on the supervision and substitution scheme.

Education is not being well served in the budget. DEIS schools were mentioned and the Minister acknowledged certain mistakes in that regard. There are issues with guidance counsellors, postgraduate students and now small schools. It is a particular issue for rural areas but there are also small schools in urban areas. It is retrograde to target small schools because they have been progressive in providing an excellent education.

There is a spread of population issue for many schools located in rural areas, particularly on the islands, and they cannot be penalised for that. While they tend to have a better pupil teacher ratio, that has to be balanced with the spread and challenge posed by one teacher teaching varying ages in one classroom. I am all for change if what is in place is not working but what is happening in schools works, and one sees that from the school evaluations and websites. Some are gaelscoileanna and others are schools in Gaeltacht areas, others are island Gaeltacht schools. We are also talking about undermining the work they do in promoting the Irish language and continuing its use.

If the population in an island school is very small, one teacher could be teaching a class with an age range from four years to 12 or 13 years. What was the extent of the consultation with parents and teachers in those schools? Where is the proof that closing them would save money? The small schools value for money review was mentioned. At what stage is that and why did the Minister not wait for it to be published before these decisions were made?.

Small schools in the Gaeltacht and on the islands are more than schools, they are central to the community and to ensuring community life will continue. The amendment states this has to do with the allocation of teaching posts and is not a measure to close small schools. Reducing the number of teachers will mean small schools will not be viable and will close. If a school in a community is closed, it will affect more than just the school because schools are central to community life.

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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We would not be debating these cuts if the Labour Party and Fine Gael had honoured their election commitments. It is important to recall those commitments. They were going to burn the bondholders, not another red cent would be given to the banks, it would be Labour's way not Frankfurt's way and the weak and vulnerable would be protected. The Government robbed the clothes from Fianna Fáil and are now implementing austerity policies which were also implemented by the previous Government.

These cuts are wrong and counter-productive. There is huge opposition to them throughout the country. There are meetings up and down the country. The cuts predominantly affect small rural schools but also affect minority faith schools, such as Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Gaeltacht schools. As a previous speaker said, they also affect some schools in urban areas.

Every day the media and our politicians tell us education is key to our social and economic future.

It is wrong to target young students in their formative years, and it will undermine their education for the rest of their lives. These schools are at the heart of local communities and are at the centre of all local activities, and this is an attack on rural Ireland. These proposals are proposals for the closure of small schools. Taken together with the changes in the school transport system, they mean the forced amalgamation of schools and therefore, the closure of schools.

The Minister shows a total lack of understanding of small schools and multi-class teaching. It is not the same as single class schools with sub-groups. It involves two, three and four class levels, with ages and maturity levels spanning up to four years in one classroom. Within those four year levels there are sub-groups requiring extra attention. The pupil-teacher ratio is not advantageous. It is based on the reality of multi-class teaching and learning.

Every time the Minister speaks on this issue - he did it again tonight - he picks out the small schools with 12 pupils and two teachers. This is totally misleading as he well knows. There are very few of these schools. Most schools that will lose teaching posts are the three teacher schools with 40-50 pupils and four teacher schools with 70-80 pupils.

There are alternatives. We can stop paying the bondholders and we can introduce a wealth tax.