Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy de Valera, and I congratulate her on her progress in the Department. The Minister, Deputy Hanafin, deserves great credit for the work she has done in the short time she has been in office.

I support the motion before the House. This side of the House has always recognised that this country's most important assets are its young people and the education they are given. From the era of Éamon de Valera and Seán Lemass through to the current Minister, we have put education at the top of the agenda. Ireland is acknowledged to have one of the most successful and progressive economies in Europe. The foundation of that economy is the provision of a full, well rounded education for young people. We also recognise that education is the key to a better life for everybody. The Minister reinforced that point earlier.

Despite what we have heard during tonight's debate, our education system has evolved and is recognised to be a modern, efficient and effective method of providing our young people with a well rounded, comprehensive start to life that gives them the opportunity to make the most of their talents and to reach their full potential. That is the aim of the motion. Obviously, some students need more help than others so the motion concentrates on the areas of disadvantage and disability needs.

The figures speak for themselves. I am surprised to hear the Opposition Members harangue the Minister about the number of SNAs and resource teachers when one considers the miserable contribution they made when they were last in power. Special needs assistants were not even considered an issue in 1997. Look at the improvements since then and the increase in the number of support and resource teachers.

Neither has there been any mention of the improvement in facilities. The school building programme is five or six times bigger than it was in 1997. All these developments require resources and time. It takes time to change a system, particularly one that has historically been under resourced. Members on this side of the House recognise the importance of this issue, and the facts and figures outlined by the Minister demonstrate that.

It should also be borne in mind that today's school children are open to many more influences than existed years ago, such as the television and the Internet. Our system must evolve and the teachers and teaching assistants must progress with such changes. They must be trained to deal with the issues that exist now which did not exist ten or 12 years ago. We live in a changing society and our methods of education must change as well. I am very encouraged by the Minister's insistence on the involvement of parents in pre-primary, primary and secondary education. Close co-operation between parents, teachers, management and even the Department is an essential part of the mix. Along with the provision of modern facilities and equipment, this is an area in which we have not been found wanting. The recruitment of over 4,000 extra teachers, including 2,500 resource teachers, speaks for itself. I have seen the benefits of it in the inner city. The previous speaker mentioned a pupil-teacher ratio of 15:1 and that is the reality in the inner city schools that take part in the Breaking the Cycle programme. The benefits of this are obvious and I see them every day. The kids are more confident and articulate.

There are other special cases that have to be examined. However, nobody can argue that we have not given priority to these areas through budgetary and resource allocations from the Department. I am involved in an education forum, which is a new departure in the docklands area. The forum brings together all of the concerned parties, such as teachers, parents and pupils, as well as public representatives, State and semi-State agencies. We are concentrating on many of the issues raised at the forum, such as parental input into a child's education. These are simple issues, such as the timing of a parent-teacher meeting. Time can be made available later in the evening so both parents can meet the teacher.

There is also a need to provide a quiet, safe environment in which a young person can study. In much inner city housing, the space does not exist for a child to study on his or her own for a few hours. I think the Minister recognises that fact. I congratulate her on her performances at the conference. I never heard such a reaction.