asked the Minister for Education if he will insist on the establishment of community schools in areas in which parents, existing teaching order and teachers are not in favour of the establishment of such schools even in the light of the numbers attending the existing schools being below 400, in view of the wide range of subjects being taught to honours leaving certificate level; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Community Schools.
38.
The areas in which community schools are proposed are for the most part areas in which there are at present two small secondary schools and a small vocational school, some or all of which are in need of replacement. None of them could possibly by itself provide the range of subject necessary to cater for the interests and ability of all the pupils. They are all so small that there could be no question of their being able to teach a wide range of subjects to honours leaving certificate level and in fact they are not doing so. It would be neither educationally nor financially sound to replace these small schools by separate new buildings.
We are getting a little tired of the phrase, "a wide range of subjects". Will the Parliamentary Secretary tell me, please, what it means? Does it include German, Russian, Persian and all those other languages? Does it include the various sciences? He has used this phrase time and again in the House.
I have been telling the Deputy that the Minister specified what is meant in reply to a question on Thursday, 13th April, 1972, and I refer the Deputy again to that reply.
That may be a smart way of answering my question. I will be back on it and perhaps the 13th April will be an unlucky day for the Parliamentary Secretary.