Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair.

I would like to make a point about language teaching in County Louth. I met a Greek businessman lately, and we compared notes on our daughters. I mentioned that my daughters are doing this and that. He said that his daughters had completed business degrees and learned two foreign languages. When I asked him to elaborate, he said they did not speak pidgin versions of the two languages in question. He was very eloquent. It reminded me of the need for the new education and training boards to be proactive in promoting languages.

If the Minister does not mind us saying so, we must sweat our assets. We should open our colleges of further education and institutes of technology during the summer. They are closed at weekends and throughout the summer. Equally, our university facilities must be opened up to ordinary people so they can train at weekends and during the summer months. All of these things should be done more than they are done now.

I agree with what Senator Power said about skills improvement on community employment schemes. She made the very good point that those who participate in such schemes should emerge with new skills.

Before I conclude, I would like to take Senator Power up on her invitation to comment on special educational needs. I remind her that there has been no reduction in numbers in the last three years. The increase in numbers this year means there will be a 10% reduction in the amount of time that is provided. The National Council for Special Education has written to all schools to ask them to use group teaching to make up the shortfall. The use of team teaching would mean there was no actual reduction in the amount of time spent with pupils or the time pupils get for learning.