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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Jul 1975

Vol. 283 No. 11

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal School Facilities.

14.

asked the Minister for Education if he is in a position to outline the proposals for primary school facilities for the parish of Malin, County Donegal.

Mr. R. Burke

A grant has been sanctioned for the provision of an extra classroom and a general purposes room at Scoil Náisiúnta Baile Meánach. A grant for similar accommodation will be sanctioned in the case of Malin Head national school, when the question of the local contribution has been settled.

In the case of Malin national school, the question of the need for additional accommodation is being investigated.

There is also in this parish a school known as Urbleragh. It has not been mentioned by the Minister. What am I to take from that?

Mr. R. Burke

The Deputy should take from it that it is proposed to amalgamate that school with Malin Head some time in the future.

Can the Minister give the grounds on which it has been decided that it is a good thing to amalgamate, particularly in view of the stringency that attaches to the availability of finance at the moment for school buildings all over the country, considering that the Urbleragh school is in very sound condition, that the parents want it to remain open, and that the proposals do not make a great deal of sense either to them or to me.

Mr. R. Burke

On 15th May in answer to questions by the Deputy I informed him that the principal and assistant principal at this school were retiring with effect from 30th June and that in that case it was proposed to amalgamate the school with Malin Head national school as soon as additional accommodation was provided at the latter school.

I cannot imagine it could be so, but may I ask the Minister if it is a fact that the retiral of the principal and assistant is really a reason for the amalgamation of schools? Surely this is not the case and that the decision to amalgamate was on the way long before there was any question of the retirement of these teachers, and the appointment of temporary substitutes, that this has been going on for a long time behind the scenes if not in the forefront.

Mr. R. Burke

The policy of creating larger central schools has been the policy pursued by the previous Government and by this one for some time. It is public knowledge, so that there is nothing necessarily new about it.

May I further ask the Minister——

A brief supplementary, Deputy.

I am not noted for brevity, unfortunately, but that is no fault of the Chair. May I ask the Minister to take everything into consideration and to amalgamate the schools where there is no conflict? As I have said before, if amalgamations took place where there is no conflict as to the teachers' willingness to move, the manager's willingness to aid or the parents' willingness to send their children long distances to other schools, there is enough work to keep the Department and their building section going over the next 20 years, with no rows at all.

Mr. R. Burke

Is the Deputy conveying to me that the three points made by him in respect of schools in general obtain in the case of Urbleragh national school, the manager, the parents and the teachers?

This is totally wrong. The manager is apparently the man who wants the job done and the Department seem to be willing to work in that direction. The parents do not want the school closed.

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