Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----not having a very certain career path. That is something that has to be addressed.

What is the Minister’s vision for rural schools? We need to have a plan. At a recent committee meeting, we heard that the Department does not have figures for how many schools in rural areas do not have multipurpose or PE rooms. If the Department does not have the numbers for how many schools do not have a PE hall, how can it have a plan for how many it will build and when it will address the issues. It is easy to bring in a curriculum but without the facilities, it is impossible to deliver on that curriculum.

We need to address the issue of island schools and particularly primary schools with one teacher. It is not possible to have a one-size-fits-all scenario when it comes to island schools.

DEIS needs to be reviewed and expanded. We find more areas where there are issues of social isolation, etc., and DEIS needs to be re-evaluated, so that more children who need to be in a DEIS school get there.

I have done a lot of work on gender equality in third level in NUIG. It is a problem and is not getting any better. It is not just in the teaching grades but also in the administration and other grades. We need to address it. As Michael Barron is in the Gallery, I want to support the comments and policy of Equate Ireland.

I look forward to further engagement with the Minister through the committee and other fora.