Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I welcome this opportunity to speak on my party's motion on doubling the capitation grant for primary schools from September of this year. This motion was laid before the House by the Labour Party on behalf of overburdened parents, teachers and, most importantly, schoolchildren nationwide, all of whom are acutely aware of the serious funding shortfall which burdens our education system, particularly our primary schools. This motion is just three lines long; there is no need for any elaboration on the central point, whose merits are clearly self evident to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the funding shortfalls which bedevil primary schools throughout the country.

The Government makes much of the fact that the capitation fee has increased since 2001. So, too, have energy and service charges, wages, inflation, insurance, maintenance costs and so on. These additional costs have more than eaten into any increase in the capitation grant before one considers outlays needed for computers or interactive whiteboards. Today almost three quarters of parents are asked for a voluntary contribution for their children's school according to a survey carried out by the Irish Primary Principals Network and the National Parents Council. Primary school education is free in theory only, with the vast majority of parents having to fund their child's school through one means or another. The need for the parental contributions is clear; the capitation grant per child does not cover schools running costs.

The IPPN submission to the Joint Committee on Education and Science on water charges included a profile table of basic running costs of a primary school of 100 children which showed a funding deficit of €17,010 for the year. In a response to my party colleague, Deputy Quinn, the Minister for Education and Science attempted to discredit the survey by claiming that as it was based on only five schools, its results were not representative. I was in contact with two primary schools in my constituency today and can think of at least another ten that will more than back up the findings of this survey.

I will give some examples of the running costs that are not factored in anywhere. Today I heard about the rodent infestation that cost €1,200 to resolve. Blocking up the holes in the walls to prevent a recurrence of this infestation had to be paid for. The miserable PE grant was spent almost entirely on one goalpost. Some 3,000 supermarket tokens later the school was able to get a football. This is before the children bought their own kit to play into the single goalpost. The Minister will agree this is a bit uneven when PE and exercise are being promoted as a means of combating the obesity problem. In addition to this list of expenditure, the leaking roof, rising damp, burst pipe and substandard building had to be taken care of. Primary schools face a very real deficit and the estimate by the IPPN that the capitation grant meets only half of the funding requirements should be respected.

The question, therefore, is not whether primary schools face a funding deficit, but how they meet this funding shortfall. How much time do principals have to spend organising fundraising drives to keep schools running? How much money are parents expected to give? What happens if parents are not able to meet this funding shortfall? Which programmes are cut? In this way the very real issue of a two-tier system begins to permeate our primary schools. Schools which are able to secure significant sums from external sources are able to use interactive whiteboards, have computers in every classroom, they have the best and most up-to-date technology and lots of extra-curricular activities. Schools which are unable to secure high levels of external funding are left behind and so are the children.

Across a gamut of studies on education, anti-social behaviour, and emotional and health problems, one message rings true again and again, namely, early intervention is the key to success. For primary schools this means the ability to have the most progressive and sophisticated teaching materials in the classroom, the ability to spot any learning problems quickly and to implement responses immediately and the provision of a wide range of physical education activities to make sure every child is engaged and gets exercise to keep him or her fit and healthy. It is, however, impossible for a primary school to be at the forefront of educational development when the funding is not there.

Supermarkets operate voucher systems for computers or sports equipment, and parents feel obliged to visit these shops. The system should not operate this way where private businesses offer school supplies in return for parents using their services. Primary school education should be a level playing field where every child, regardless of circumstance, has the same educational, mental and physical opportunities. Investing in our children is long-term planning, which will in time help tackle anti-social behaviour, promote Ireland as a knowledge economy, tackle obesity and improve our nation's health. Therefore, I commend this motion to the House and urge every Government Deputy to back the Labour Party's call for a doubling of the capitation grant for primary schools.

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