Minister's speech: Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has defended the Government's record on overcrowded classrooms and promised stronger action against underperforming teachers.
In a wide-ranging address to the INTO conference, she also unveiled a new package of measures to raise Irish language standards in schools.
On class size - the issue at the top of the INTO agenda - she pointed out there will be 4,000 more primary teachers in our schools next September than there were in 2002.
"In the past 12 months alone, 1,500 more primary teachers have been put in place . . . These additional teachers have made an immeasurable difference to the lives of all these children and are also providing vital back-up for classroom teachers in helping these children," the Minister said.
Telling congress that the Government will make no apologies for targeting extra resources at those who need them most, Ms Hanafin said that "if we had just put these extra teachers into classrooms instead of into these priority areas they would have done a lot to reduce class size in our schools".
She pointed out, however, that now that these priorities have been largely addressed, extra teachers will be provided over the next two years, specifically to reduce class sizes in primary schools. Five hundred extra teachers are due in primary schools from this September.
The Minister said the perception that under-performance is ignored and indeed tolerated is not only doing a disservice to our schoolchildren but also to our teachers.
She said the vast majority of the 55,000 teachers in the country are excellent at their jobs. But we also remember those who struggled in the classroom, and who, for whatever reason, were less than inspiring to their pupils, she added.
Ms Hanafin said she is putting the Employee Assistance Service in place and is determined to provide other supports such as wider access to training in classroom management for teachers who are having difficulties.
The new measures designed to foster a greater love of Irish include a new 30-strong team of Cuiditheori (language experts) to be in place next autumn to work with teachers in schools to improve their fluency in the language, and one of the three drama in-service (training days) next year.
The Minister said there will also be funding for two-week summer day camps for 10-13-year-old children in their own locality from 2007, with emphasis on learning Irish through sports and games.
Priority will be given to establishing these in poor areas and the Minister is also looking at providing Gaeltacht scholarships for children from poorer areas.
A CD is to be sent to every school of the National Children's Choir singing the national anthem, along with other songs as Gaeilge, she added. The Minister said that with the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising this week, it is timely to focus on our values as a nation and the place of our language and culture in today's Ireland.
"The 1916 leadership - poets, teachers, shopkeepers, journalists - were motivated in large part by a passion for the protection and revival of our Irish language and heritage. In the intervening years the role of guardian and promoter of that language and culture has fallen in very large measure to our primary teachers."
