Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The annual primary school census is due today, 30 September. It will determine the staffing levels in our primary schools for the academic year 2021-22. There is a serious risk that some schools may lose a teacher this year because a number of children have yet to return to school owing to health concerns associated with Covid-19. Some pupils may live in a home in which there is an at-risk family member and, for that reason, their parents will have decided not to send them to school. Since a school may have one or two pupils fewer, there is a risk that this could be the difference between its losing a teacher and holding on to one. This year, I would like common sense and sensitivity on the part of the Department of Education regarding primary schools that find themselves in this unique position. Last year, over 428 schools lost a teacher because of lower numbers. The majority of those schools are in rural parts. It is vital that sensitivity and common sense be adopted by the Department this year.I ask the Leader to stress that to the Minister for Education and Skills.