John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

In another aspect of my life — I suppose that politicians wear different caps all the time — I am a member of my local primary school's board of management. While it is only a four-teacher school, I am amazed by the phenomenal level of administration the principal has to undertake. The increase has occurred since I left primary school 14 years ago, which is not that long. In his earlier remarks, Senator Ulick Burke mentioned the need to significantly improve the resources available to principals to ensure they can carry out the necessary administration of a school without classes in small schools — such as the one of which I am a member of the board of management — suffering as a result. The Minister should examine that area as there is a need for improvement.

I disagree with what the Minister said concerning split classes. In 1989, I was in a fourth class which was deemed to be too large so the pupils were split up. Five of us were put into another classroom with fifth and sixth class pupils. I can honestly say that my education and that of my four friends suffered as a result because we were cut off from the group with which we had spent the previous six years. When the five of us were lumped in, an extra burden was placed on the teacher who was already teaching 30 fifth and sixth class students. She had to try to teach different curricular courses to three distinct groups within the same classroom. Split classes, therefore, need to be carefully examined. Maybe I am being overly idealistic in pursuing the idea that we should not have split classes.