Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Táimid buíoch den Aire as teacht isteach ar an gceist seo, ceist atá tábhachtach agus atá ag tarraingt go leor cáinte ar fud na tíre, sna scoileanna tuaithe go háirithe, maidir leis an chóimheas atá molta ó thaobh scoileanna beag. I am grateful to the Minister for Education and Skills for attending the Chamber. I have been inundated with calls, as he has, about the proposal made in the budget to change the staffing schedules for one, two, three and four teacher schools, those with fewer than 86 pupils. They are up in arms about this change. It is potentially a fundamental change in the way education is delivered, particularly in rural areas. Something that may seem to be an academic work on paper, changing ratios, could have a major effect on which schools are opened, how children are transported to schools, the time at which they have to get up to go to school and the place of the school in the rural community.

Schools and teachers have also raised the point that a value for money audit of primary schools is under way in the Department and that all schools have returned questionnaires to it. They have found it strange that the announcement has preceded the publication of the report on the audit. As with the Comisinéir Teanga, decisions are taken before reports are made available for debate and discussion. Schools have asked me to ask the Minister to outline the logic behind the decision, why it is being taken now and whether he is aware of the issues schools are raising about the potential damage if the change is introduced.