MR. THOMAS O'DONXELL (Kerry, W.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will explain why Mr. Thomas O'Flaherty, principal teacher, Droumtacher national school, Tralee, has not got an increment at the recent revision of salaries; and whether, in view of his character and the success of his work, he will state if the special difficulties which he had to contend against were at all taken into account by the inspector of his district; and whether another inspector will be asked to inspect and report on his work.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) I am informed by the Commissioners that it is an essential condition for the award of increments of "good service" salary to teachers that their schools must be in such a satisfactory condition as to; enable the inspector to report the general proficiency of the pupils as "good." The school in question falls short of this standard of merit. At the last annual inspection in June, 1903, the proficiency was reported by the inspector as merely "fair," and it did not deserve the description "good" at either of the two previous annual inspections. In giving their opinion of the schools they visit the inspectors take all the special circumstances of each case into consideration. There appear to be no grounds, in the opinion of the Commissioners, for calling for a report on the school from an inspector other than the inspector of the district.