James Heffernan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. It is good to have another Limerick person here for a change. I do not feel as alone any more. I wish her continued success in her big portfolio. She will continue the work undertaken by her predecessor, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, who was a very fine Minister for Education and Skills.

Senator Jim D'Arcy said he used to have about six minutes in an infants class before pulling his hair out. I spent two years in an infants class - courtesy of someone who must have been a very forward thinking Fianna Fáil-influenced principal - before coming to the Seanad. I found it far easier to deal with 27 infants than with some people here.

Early childhood education is hugely important, although it has not received the attention it needs and deserves. I commend the Minister for the work she is putting into it, especially as she comes from a Montessori background and knows what she is talking about. She also knows the dividends that can be gained if it is done properly, which is the crux of the matter.

Teachers should be coached to ensure that in the early education age group every lesson is engaging, interesting and fun. Children learn so much more when they are engaged with a subject. I had difficulties when I was working in the sector. I found that the curriculum was inadequate, especially the way in which we could fall into a lazy way of doing things such as having children colour in a page of a book at a certain time each day. It is not the way education subjects should be taught, especially in the early years. Perhaps it might come back to the issue of teacher training. I undertook my training in the United Kingdom where specific courses were provided for persons who would become specialists in early school education. For example, such teachers' graduate degrees could be specific to early education between the ages of three and seven years. They worked in a special environment and could be involved in specialised teaching.

I remember being involved in a classroom inspection and wondered about some of the feedback I had been given. I am glad that the Minister intends to recruit dedicated early years education inspectors. It is a welcome move that needs to be made. When I taught, I had to fill in a cuntas míosúil at the end of each month on the work that had been done. However, much of it could not be written down because the evidence of learning could not be shown. For example, if I found a spider in the classroom, we would have been able to do so many things; we could have had an art lesson, an Irish lesson or a PE lesson based on it. The children would have been so engaged with it and one could have seen the results. Many teachers cannot use such holistic or organic teaching methods because they feel restricted by the curriculum. I am glad, therefore, that the Minister has decided to put together the early years education advisory group, which is a great initiative. My only recommendation is that instead of reporting to her twice a year, it should report more regularly and its reports should be made public in order that people would know exactly what was being done.

Previous speakers referred to the Scandinavian teaching model. I spent time in Finland where I was exposed to state-aided early education methods, including kindergarten teaching methods.

It is probably the best practice we have seen in Europe and it is certainly one to which we should aspire.

I know the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, was almost pilloried at an INTO conference when he referred to the profession as being largely female-dominated. It is a fact that it is female-dominated but are any steps being taken by the Department to encourage more males into primary school education? This is important, given that today's families are different from the traditional family model of the past and influences at a young age are very important for shaping a person. I remember my junior infants teacher putting tape across my lips to keep me from talking. That did not work very well but it is a clear memory. My favourite teacher taught senior infants, so I know teachers have a major influence on children at that age.

I remember dealing with three children with special needs in an infants class, and it was difficult enough. Perhaps special needs assistants could follow the children to which they are allocated. It is a common practice in schools that a special needs assistant would become more of a teaching assistant. I know there are teaching assistants in the UK but a special needs assistant should always follow the special needs child. If there are three children with special needs, there should be three special needs assistants for the class. They should not be divvied up among other classes, which is a commonplace practice.

I do not know if there can be collaboration between the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills but there is now an onus on teachers to report issues related to the domiciliary care allowance, specifically relating to a child's progress. Teachers are not medical professionals and it is unfair to put an onus like this on a teacher where sometimes they are forced to say X, Y or Z about a child for a parent to qualify for the domiciliary care allowance. It is a bit much to ask of a teacher and it can be difficult. People in education would know parents and families very well, so this can be an added pressure that teachers can do without. Perhaps the Minister would look at that.