Sir, - The Minister for Education, Mr Martin, has responded negatively to a list of demands for increased primary school staffing and funding put to him by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (The Irish Times, October 13th). Apparently the Government is not prepared to accede to the INTO demand for 1,000 more teachers at a cost of £105 million per year. It seems that the INTO general secretary, Senator O'Toole, in a letter to Mr Martin, demanded inter alia the closing of the gap between primary and postprimary funding; reducing the maximum average class size to 30 from the present 35; appointing an administrative principal to all schools with more than six teachers or 150 pupils; giving all schools access to remedial teachers.
Mr O'Toole said it would be "absolutely obscene" if primary schoolchildren were to be deprived of funding at a time of such spectacular economic expansion. "Somebody better explain to me why there is no money for them, when there was money to get rid of university fees and to fund an extra year at second level," he said.
In your editorial, "Primary Funding" (October 13th), you say that the INTO is right to press the case for substantially increased funding for primary schools. You quite properly state that it is to be hoped that the dispute between these political heavyweights does not obscure the very important issues raised by the INTO.
Just 10 months ago, The Irish Times (December 8th, 1997) reported on an INTO list of 43 "seriously sub-standard" primary schools which were in such an "appalling condition" that they put the Government in breach of commitments given to the social partners in the Partnership 2000 agreement. Michael D. Higgins, TD was reported as saying that the previous week's Budget would boost bank profits while primary children continued to study in squalor.
It would indeed be tragic if political infighting were to jeopardise the redressing of these wrongs in the forthcoming Budget. - Yours, etc.,
Myles Crowe,
Courtmacsherry,
Co Cork.