Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Mar 1968

Vol. 233 No. 1

Private Members' Business. - Adjournment Debate: Aughaclay (Donegal) School.

Mr. Harte

First of all, I must apologise to the Minister for not having adopted the usual procedure of putting a Parliamentary Question. As a matter of the greatest urgency, I was requested by the parents of the pupils to have this matter ventilated with the least possible delay. It is for that reason, and that reason only, that I raise this matter on the Adjournment.

The position is that Aughaclay is a national school approximately two miles from Malin in County Donegal. It is not by any means a new school. It was a three-teacher school up to 14 years ago when a new school was provided in Malin. Recently, the Department of Education and officials from the Board of Works attended to discuss demands put forward by the parents of pupils and by the management of the school to have repairs carried out, notably the installation of flush toilets. With this in mind, the parents believed the Department intended to renovate the school and that despite the fact that the three-teacher school had been reduced to a two-teacher school, there was no suggestion of amalgamation.

Tradition dies hard in Ireland, and the parents feel they have a just claim to keep this school open. However, their claims to the Department have been treated with what I can describe only as contempt. If the Department are sincere in trying to win the goodwill of these people, the Minister should direct one of his officials to go to Aughaclay, meet the parents, discuss the differences and outline what the Department have in mind for the school.

There are about 40 pupils involved and this is a reasonably large attendance at a rural national school. I understand the population of that part of the country is now on the increase. It certainly cannot be regarded as a declining population. At any rate, it has reached a level where it is impossible for it to decline further. It is therefore reasonable to expect that the level of 40 pupils will be maintained during the coming number of years.

I do not wish to labour this matter beyond making the point that some time ago the Department of Education, by inference or promise, made the parents and all concerned aware that a new school would be built there. Now the position is that it is proposed to amalgamate this school with the national school in Malin. I urge the Minister to reconsider the whole situation and accede to the request of the parents. In the meantime, I suggest that he provide toilet facilities and reasonable recreational facilities, thus winning the goodwill of all concerned. The Minister is a reasonable man, a man whom I have regarded since I came to the House as having little regard for red tape, a man with what could be described as an elastic conscience on the question of the normal procedure adopted by civil servants. If the Minister instructs a man from his Department to go there, he will discover that a much better solution can be found.

Minister for Education (Mr. O'Malley)

This is a perfectly straightforward case. Aughaclay is a small two-teacher school, over 80 years old. It is in a poor state of repair and has been recommended for replacement by the Office of Public Works. The out-offices are in particularly poor condition. There are about 40 pupils on rolls. As the Deputy is aware, it is my policy not to replace such schools where accommodation can otherwise be made available for the pupils and teachers, thus creating a larger school unit where the pupils are afforded a more effective primary education and where the teachers have a smaller number of standards to deal with.

It is proposed to amalgamate Aughaclay with Malin national school which is a little over two miles away in the same parish. Malin is a modern two-roomed school, erected in 1952. It will be extended and any necessary improvements carried out to accommodate the Aughaclay pupils and their one permanent teacher, thus creating a three-teacher school with an enrolment of over 80 pupils. The ecclesiastical authorities are agreeable to the amalgamation and the Department's inspector attended a meeting of the parents in September, 1967 at which the advantages of amalgamation were discussed.

I understand that the parents have withdrawn their children from the school since 19th February. One of their objections to the amalgamation appears to be that Aughaclay had a school of its own before Malin. While I appreciate the very proper loyalty of the Aughaclay parents to their own locality, I could not consider this an adequate reason for resisting amalgamation. I would appeal to the parents not to proceed with their strike: in the long run only the children suffer by such action. I could not hold out any hope that a new school would be built in Aughaclay. There are no special circumstances which would warrant any departure from the policy of amalgamation. This policy, I may say, is in full swing throughout the country and I have heard nothing but satisfaction expressed about its results even from places where local opposition was strongly voiced.

Such agitation and strikes have taken place in other parts of the country and, like strikes everywhere, they must come to an end sometime. The unfortunate position here is that in such instances as the retention of children from school, the sufferers are the children. Deputies on all sides of the House have subscribed to the Government's policy with regard to the amalgamation of these smaller schools and it is wrong and irresponsible for any public representative, not necessarily Deputy Harte alone but any Member of this House or any public representative, irrespective of Party, to invite or encourage such agitation.

Mr. Harte

For the record, I have not incited anyone and in fact I have asked the parents to reconsider their decision.

Mr. O'Malley

It would be very good advice. My primary concern as Minister is the educational needs of the children. May I say that there is written evidence in the Department's files, when strikes took place on these questions of amalgamations of schools in the past, and when they ended and when the children were transported free of charge to the amalgamated school, as time went on, parents saw the upsurge in educational attainments by the children. We have written acknowledgments in the Department from many of these parents—I will say this for them—saying that they were wrong in their outlook and that they were more than satisfied that their children had shown unhoped for improvement in the amalgamated school.

Mr. Harte

I am with the Minister to a certain degree but will he direct that an official attend a meeting of the parents?

Mr. O'Malley

The Deputy is aware that my inspector went down and had a very long and comprehensive discussion with them on 26th September.

Mr. Harte

That was six months ago.

Mr. O'Malley

At that meeting the Reverend Manager spoke in favour of my proposal and urged the parents to accept it in the educational interests of the children. There is little point in my inspector going back again. My decision is irrevocable. I would not change my decision in any circumstances. I have looked into the whole history of this case, as indeed I tried to do in all amalgamations, and to be as reasonable as possible. Of all the cases I have ever come across, there is no shadow of doubt in my mind that amalgamation is the correct decision in this case. The children are going to benefit very considerably from it through their educational advancement.

Mr. Harte

Would the Minister not agree that something would be achieved by having an inspector attend to iron out the differences? It is a modest request.

Mr. O'Malley

My inspector has been down there and has had a full and comprehensive discussion. He is a reasonable man and answered all questions put to him. He pointed out that the transport would go not only from Malin to Aughaclay but beyond it and would pick up children in the surrounding areas, many of them living 1½ miles from Aughaclay, and transport them to Malin. Another point to which the Deputy did not refer was that some parents referred to the infants who came out earlier than the older children. If this is a problem, my Department is quite willing to arrange a special service for the infants, as we have done elsewhere, so that they will not be waiting around for the bus for the older children.

In all the circumstances this is a good decision and a wise one. I have no doubt that this will be reported in the appropriate Donegal papers and I would appeal to the parents—and I say this sincerely; it means nothing to me, except in regard to the educational welfare of the children—that they will only damage their children's education. If they agree with this proposal, they will be very pleased with the increased educational attainments of their children. I will say this to Deputy Harte: let them send their children to Malin, and after 12 months, I will send down an inspector to hear what they have to say. That is a promise. The Deputy can raise it again on the Adjournment, 12 months after the children have been going to that school.

Mr. Harte

The Minister has been very fair in his reply but if he promises to send down an inspector in 12 months time, why can he not send one down now?

Mr. O'Malley

It would be entirely irresponsible. My inspector spent hours explaining the position to the parents, some of whom were most unreasonable, and of course sometimes it is the mob orators who carry the day and the quieter ones tag along with the ringleaders, and in this case there were some ringleaders. If I were to say that my inspector would go back, it would build up false hopes. I have not the slightest intention of changing my mind because what I have done is the right thing.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.50 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 6th March, 1968.