Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am concerned about the escalating action by teachers, who are members of the ASTI, in secondary schools. The most valuable resource any child has at school is teacher contact time. As those teachers voted against the Haddington Road agreement, which they had a right to do, they will now have parent-teacher meetings and perhaps CAO information sessions during school hours. This will rob our children of a great deal of important school time. I have talked to some of those teachers and I was surprised by what I learned - other Members may have known this but I did not. The capitation grant per child in a VEC school is €140 higher than in a second level school and it is €90 higher in a community school than in a second level, or ASTI, school.

My question to the Leader is why there is not an equalising capitation system across all State schools given that everyone is paid by the taxpayer. What I have heard from those ASTI members is that they are willing to take pay cuts but not condition cuts, and I believe there is something in that. That is a reasonable point. If the conditions under which education is delivered are lower in a second level school, ultimately that affects the quality of the education delivered to my child, other Members' children and everyone else's child. We are looking down the barrel of a gun here if we do not move. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, wants to bring in a reformed junior cycle in September 2014, which I support. How will he do that without the goodwill of the teachers? I ask the Leader to ensure the Minister engages because I do not want my child or anyone else's child losing any more teacher contact time. Let us grab this one by the scruff of the neck and sort it out.