Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 109: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action he will take to bring pupil-teacher ratios in the classroom into line with best practice throughout Europe; if his attention has been drawn to the expected educational damage arising from overcrowded classrooms and the likelihood of the loss of teachers at a number of primary schools during the next two years; if he has examined the negative impact of this on the educational system; if he will take the necessary steps to address these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38231/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy has introduced the issue of comparability of class size with the position in schools throughout Europe.

I have to say to the House that given the momentous challenges that countries right across Europe are facing to cope with economic recession, and in the case of some countries to even maintain financial solvency, raising the matter of educational comparisons misses the point.

The first priority for Governments throughout the world at present is to ensure economic survival. Ensuring that public services like education can be maintained at a reasonable level is but a subset of that greater priority of securing national solvency. Without economic and fiscal stability is axiomatic that public services like education will suffer.

The Government is about the business of securing Ireland's future. It is the number one priority. In the budget we tried to shelter education services as best we could. Some changes to how schools are to be staffed from next September were unavoidable.

I do not accept the scaremongering claims of the opposition parties or some of the more extreme comments from within the education sector in relation to the impact of the staffing changes.

For example it is simply not credible to claim that by staffing primary schools on the same basis as they were staffed just a year ago that we are prejudicing educational outcomes to any great extent. Yes of course it would be desirable to make improvements as originally intended let alone have to take a step back. However this is a changed world and it would be sheer folly to allow the overall number of teachers spiral upwards as if nothing had changed. I have faith in the quality of our teachers and our schools and in their capacity to deliver as well from September 2009 as they did just over a year ago from a similar level staffing and class size position.

We need to come through this difficult period and then and only then can we look at what further improvements we can make in how we staff schools and reduce class sizes.

As the full extent of the global crisis seeps into public consciousness I believe that parents will accept that taking difficult decisions now in order to secure future economic prosperity and secure employment for them and ultimately their children is the first imperative of Government and that parents will see through some of the extreme commentary on these measures.