The House will now hear two minute statements on matters appropriate to the Minister for Education. I propose to call the Deputies I have selected in the following order: Deputy Sheehan, Deputy J. Higgins, Deputy Flanagan and finally Deputy Owen. Each Deputy is entitled to two minutes in respect of each matter and each statement will be followed immediately by a two minute reply by the Minister for Education. I call Deputy Sheehan to let us hear his two minute statement.
Adjournment Debate. - Education Matters.
A Ceann Comhairle, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter in the house tonight. It concerns the serious situation appertaining at Clonakilty boys' national school, County Cork. Approximately 200 pupils are accommodated in five tiny classrooms under very unhealthy conditions. There are no passageways between the benches to facilitate children going in and out. Apparently there are holes in the floor boards, the ceilings are falling down, the walls are damp and the play ground is completely inadequate, with only a small yard, approximately one eighth of an acre, attached to the school premises. There are no staff rooms, no general purpose room, lighting and ventilation are poor and heating facilities are limited. The school furniture is obsolete and the building itself is well over 100 years old. On bad days the children are forced to shelter in the small shed in the school yard, which is not capable of holding a fraction of them. The school yard becomes completely flooded on extremely wet days.
The board of management of the school have made repeated demands to the Department of Education for a new boys' national school to be built to accommodate this large number of pupils. In view of the extenuating circumstances appertaining to their case I would be pleased if the Minister for Education would clearly state his intentions as regards the provision of a new school to accommodate the pupils concerned and I would appreciate an assurance that finance will be made available to carry out the building of this project this year. It is appalling in this day and age that those youths are deprived of the privilege of decent national school accommodation as the present condition of the old boys' school is deplorable.
I am glad the Deputy has given me the opportunity of outlining the Department's position on the provision of a new boys' national school at Clonakilty, County Cork. The Department had agreed in principle in 1986 to replace the existing school building and this project had reached sketch plan stage. However, as the Deputy will appreciate, it was not possible to proceed at the time because of the large number of projects on hands and the necessary budgetary constraints.
The present staffing at the school is a principal and five assistant teachers, with an enrolment of 174 pupils who are accommodated in a building which dates from 1885 and which I accept is outmoded and unsatisfactory. The Department's primary building unit have been examining the question of a new school in consultation with the inspectorate. I accept there has been some delay which is due to pressure of work. Also there has been some uncertainty concerning enrolments. The matter is now close to finalisation and a decision will be conveyed to the school authorities at an early date. In view of the Deputy's interest he will also be advised of developments.
First, I want to say it is a gross discourtesy to the House and the Members that neither the Minister nor the Minister of State at the Department of Education is present to hear genuine points of grievance in relation to education. No disparagement is intended of the Minister of State present who is responsible for his own portfolio. I will be taking up that matter with the Taoiseach.
On 22 July 1991 the College of Marketing and Design, Mountjoy Square, Dublin, issued a letter confirming, in the clearest possible terms, that the college had decided to extend the three-year diploma in marketing administration to a fourth year for the award of the advanced diploma in administration and marketing. The course was to begin in September 1991. The letter further confirmed that there was a submission with Dublin City University for the award at degree status for this course. Thirty-nine students undertook the course. Some of those gave up employment in order to do so. Other even returned from employment in other countries in order to participate. Last week, a mere two weeks before sitting their final examination, the students were informed by the college that their course would not now qualify for award of an advanced diploma or the degree from Trinity. Trinity College have confirmed that, despite the written assurances, no submission was given to them for the award of a degree course.
It is abundantly clear that a major blunder was made and it is obvious that there was gross mismanagement somewhere. Students' livelihoods and career opportunities are at stake. A clear written assurance was given that these students would be awarded their advanced diplomas and that commitment must now, without further ado, be realised in full.
The whole issue of the so-called submission to Trinity must also be investigated and resolved this week. It is unjust and unfair to expect 39 students to sit an examination this week while a major question mark hangs over the status and merits of that examination. Such indecision and trauma is bound to have serious and damaging effects on the performance of the students landed in this predicament through no fault of their own due to bungling and incompetence somewhere alone the line.
It is clear that this is a case for urgent intervention at the highest level. I call on the Minister for Education, Mr. Brennan, to immediately intervene with the College of Marketing an Design, the Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin vocational education committee and Trinity College to resolve this matter once and for all.
First, I would like to apologise to the House on behalf of both the Minister for Education and his Minister of State. They had other business tonight and could not be present. However, I assure Deputy Higgins that they will be made aware of the contributions made tonight.
The attention of the Minister has been drawn to difficulties relating to the validation of a course in marketing and administration in the College of Marketing and Design.
The difficulty experienced by the students in this case is a matter of the utmost concern to the Minister. The Department have taken the matter up as a matter of urgency with the City of Dublin vocational education committee with a view to arriving at a resolution of the problem.
The position is that validation of courses in vocational education committee colleges is a matter for the college authorities and the relevant validating body. In this case I understand that a three year course in marketing and administration has been in operation for some years. This was validated by the Dublin Institute of Technology.
In 1991 the college extended the course to a fourth year which students believed would lead to an advanced diploma in administration and marketing to be awarded by the Dublin Institute of Technology. I have been informed that this validation has not yet been granted but that a decision is expected within the next few days.
With regard to the possibility of a degree award the position is that in certain cases advanced diploma courses in the Dublin Institute of Technology may lead to a degree from the University of Dublin. Such an arrangement is not in place for the marketing and administration course at this time.
I understand that students were informed that the college could not anticipate the result of a submission for degree status from the University of Dublin. Applications for entry to the advanced diploma were accepted only on that basis.
This side of the House does not accept the pathetic explanation for the absence of the Minister for Education, and his Minister of State, that they have other more important business than the Adjournment debate. I ask the Chair to convey the strong feelings of the Opposition at the way we were treated tonight.
The vocational school in Rathdowney, County Laois, one of the finest educational establishments in the midlands, is attended by 516 students with a projected net increase in 1992-93 of a further 80 students. A new building was constructed in the mid-eighties at enormous cost as part of the overall school development. However, the new structure only caters for 250 students, the remainder attending classes in the old school and prefab structures. The condition of some of the prefab buildings would not be tolerated in parts of the Third World. On rainy days the students have to vacate those classrooms and some prefabs, which are more than 20 years old, are beyond repair. The old school, which is still very much in use, is a fire hazard and lights cannot be turned on in wet weather due to the dangerous condition of the electrical wiring. There is no proper heating system and the toilet and washroom facilities are absolutely deplorable.
County Laois has suffered the closure of three second level educational establishments under the Fianna Fáil administration. Thanks to the teachers in Rathdowney the students succeeded, under very difficult conditions, in achieving marvellous results in this the only second level establishment left in south west Laois.
Twenty million pounds was allocated by the former Minister for Education, Deputy Davern, on the night before he was unceremoniously dismissed from office, not one penny of which was allocated to County Laois. I urge the Minister, notwithstanding the financial position in his Department, to reach agreement with the board of management on a programme of repair works. We need a commitment that the much needed extension will be provided at the earliest opportunity.
I wish to inform the Deputy that the Department have only recently received an application from County Laois vocational education committee for new accommodation to replace existing accommodation in this school, which the vocational education committee consider to be unsatisfactory. This application is at present being examined in the Department and the matter will be given full consideration. It will be appreciated that as this application has only recently been received, I am not in a position to give a more comprehensive response at this stage. However, when this examination has been completed the Department will be in contact with the school authorities in this regard.
By way of background I should like to add that this school received a permanent extension as recently as 1988. Further to this the school was also provided with additional temporary accommodation in recent years to cope with a rapid increase in enrolments.
As I have already indicated the matter will be dealt with as soon as possible and the vocational education committee contacted in due course.
This is the first year of the new junior certificate art examination which requires students taking the honours course to submit five projects and those taking the pass course to submit three projects. When the new curriculum was being introduced the art teachers were told that the work of their students would be assessed in situ, in other words in their school. Before Christmas, at the in-service day for the more than 1,000 art teachers in the country, the teachers were told by the Department that they had changed their mind and now all art work would have to be sent physically to Athlone for assessment.
Since last Friday art teachers and students have been involved in carefully packaging into separate boxes all the art work of the junior certificate students. Supermarkets and homes have been raided for suitable containers to pack very delicate and carefully constructed work. Over 100,000 pieces of art work will, over the next week or so, have to be brought to Athlone. The sheer volume and logistics of storage and linking one part of the exam with another is mind boggling.
Examiners will have to travel to Athlone. I know one teacher who has been told to be available to spend three full weeks in Athlone staying, obviously, in a hotel funded by the Department to carry out the assessments.
The work, which represents enormous effort, emotional and financial input from the Department and the students will be destroyed after the assessment, apart from a tiny percentage of the very best work. A valuable resource will be lost to art teachers for next year's students. One teacher has told me that his school has to hire a van and pay for it; a teacher will have to take one of his leave days to drive the van to Athlone tomorrow and unload 150 boxes of art work from one school alone. Schools have not been told whether these costs will be covered.
This system must be changed by 1993. For this year I ask the Minister to consider allowing the option to those schools who wish to do so to collect the work of their students. Many young students who wish to go on to art college would like to have their work in their portfolio. I ask the Minister of State to tell the Minister for Education that whoever thought up a system of examination and assessment like this shold have their contract examined.
The situation referred to by the Deputy is covered by Rule 28 of the Department's Rules for Secondary Schools. The rule states, in brief, that a candidate's worked exercise will not be returned to the candidate or his representative under any circumstances.
Over one million worked exercises of different kinds are marked by the Department's examiners every year. Most of these are written scripts but many exercises in various materials are received in connection with the wood-work, metalwork, engineering and construction examinations, in addition to the art examinations. In the case of the junior certificate art examination, entries have been received from more than 25,000 candidates. Each candidate will produce about five separate pieces, giving a total of 125,000 pieces for marking.
I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that, in these circumsances, it is not feasible for the Department to undertake to return this mass of material or to make arrangements for the material to be collected.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 14 May 1992.