FINE GAEL has moved to resolve the class size dispute, with the party’s education spokesman Brian Hayes tabling a series of potential compromise measures.
In recent months, over 100,000 people have attended public meetings to protest against the education cuts, which will see increased class sizes from next September.
Mr Hayes said the decision to increase the general staffing schedule at primary level from 27 pupils per teacher to 28 per teacher is a blunt instrument and causes many schools to lose teachers.
Among Mr Hayes’s main proposals are:
no school should lose a teacher because they are one child under the schedule;
where eight-teacher schools lose a teacher under the schedule, thereby merging two years into one year, some consideration should be given for allowing schools to retain eight teachers;
a more flexible approach to be taken in determining appeals brought by schools on teacher numbers;
where a school has 80 or more newcomer pupils, the cap on two language-support teachers should be lifted to allow the allocation of a third language-support teacher.
Mr Hayes said these were “clear and workable” solutions on an issue that affects all schools.
“This issue is beyond partisan politics and, if Batt O’Keeffe brings in these proposals, he can count on my support in the Dáil.”
Mr Hayes added: “In his announcements before Christmas on substitution and supervision cover for primary and post- primary education, Batt O’Keeffe has at least been prepared to listen and has rowed back slightly on his budget cuts in these areas. The same rethink is now required in the area of class size.”
At the moment, 100,000 children in primary education are in classes of 30 or more; that figure will rise when teachers are taken out of the system as a new school year starts.
He also called on the Minister to publish the staffing schedule as soon as possible so that schools know the exact position that faces them from next September.
Last night, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said the Fine Gael proposals recognised the very real difficulties faced by schools because of the Government’s proposal.
It general secretary John Carr said; “Teachers have shown goodwill in operating changed substitute arrangements. The Minister must show the same goodwill towards schools and engage with the INTO to find a solution to the class size issue.”
A Department of Education spokesman said the staffing schedule operates in a manner that treats schools in like circumstances equally.
Schools have flexibility in the way in which they assign pupils and teachers to classes and the department does not allocate teachers to specific classes or age groups, he said.
On language-support teachers, the Minister announced on budget day there will be some alleviation for the position of those schools where there is a significant concentration of newcomer pupils as a proportion of overall enrolment. This will be done on a case-by-case basis, the spokesman said.
