MR. BODKIN (Roscommon, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has been called to the unanimous resolution of the late Congress of the National Teachers in Ireland, strongly urging that monitors who are trained at the public expense for five years should, instead of being as at present cast adrift on the world at the end of that term, when there are not sufficient vacancies among the teachers, be retained to assist in the schools for three years further or until vacancies are found for them as teachers, at the very moderate salaries which they enjoyed during the last year of monitorship; is he aware that the teaching staff's in the schools are at present under-manned; that very many schools whoso attendance, ranging over 40, would entitle them to the assistance of a monitor are deprived of such assistance through no fault of theirs, but through the rule which ordains that vacancies amongst the monitors, when- 205 ever and however created, must be filled up at a certain given time once in the year; and whether, inasmuch as the adoption of the Rule advocated by the Teachers' Congress enables the Board to largely increase the available staff at little or no additional public expense, be will give the matter his early and favourable consideration?
MR. J. MORLEYThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that the proposals to retain monitors after the completion of their five years' course would involve a considerable increase in the expenditure. The salary for the male monitors rises from £5 first year to £18 fifth year, and that of the female monitor rises from £5 first year to £16 fifth year. Deducting the salary of a new monitor of first year, whose appointment under the suggested arrangement would be superseded by the retention of the monitor who had completed his course, the net cost of retaining a male monitor would be £13, and of retaining a female monitor £11, or a total of £8,317 under the proposed arrangement. The appointments of monitors have primarily in view the preparatory training of the monitors for the office of National teacher, to which object that of giving assistance to the school is subordinate. Moreover, the supposition is that every school shall have a sufficient staff to carry on the business of the school without the assistance of monitors, and the Commissioners give adequate salaries for such a staff. The fulfilment of their course on the 30th of June by fifth-year monitors occurs once a year, and the recommendations made by Inspectors take these vacancies into account. Should a monitor in an exceptional case be discontinued during a year there is no reason for filling up the vacancy thus created forthwith, particularly if the discontinuance was owing to inefficiency of teacher, or of monitor, or of both. Seeing that in addition to the 8,193 principal teachers there are 4,057 assistant teachers, industrial teachers, &c, recognised in National schools—leaving out of consideration the 5,336 paid monitors—the Commissioners cannot admit that the schools are understaffed.
MR. BODKINDoes the right hon. Gentleman regard a single teacher as a sufficient staff for the teaching of children 206 in a school without any assistance or without such salary as will enable him to procure assistance? Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire in reference to this matter?
MR. J. MORLEYI do not know what is the opinion of the Commissioners upon this supposititious case, and I should be sorry to put my opinion against theirs. I will call their attention to the point.