I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise the important matter of the pending industrial action at the CBS primary school, Mullingar, County Westmeath on the Adjournment.
On Tuesday next week 500 pupils at St. Mary's primary school, Mullingar, will be deprived of their education because of industrial action by the INTO. They have taken this serious decision because of the action of the Department of Education in not recognising certain pupils attending that school. This is just the beginning of action on the part of teachers which will spread nationwide unless the Minister does something about it now. He has a chance to act now to prevent a further escalation of this industrial action.
Children repeat sixth class in primary schools in many schools nationwide for a variety of reasons, principally on the grounds that they may be too young to commence secondary school. Many children finishing primary school may be 11 years of age who, if they continue straight into second level, would be sitting their leaving certificate at age 16, which is far too young. Therefore, many of them wish to repeat sixth class in primary school, affording them another year before entering second level. In addition, parents of pupils may wish them to repeat sixth class because, in some cases, the children may be too immature to commence second level. We must remember that second level is a tremendous change for pupils, with additional teachers, requiring them to move about from one class to another, taking a totally different set of subjects, when some find it very difficult to adjust. Accordingly, many pupils leaving primary school are not sufficiently mature, when their parents and teachers may well decide they should repeat sixth class.
Some children may repeat because they have fallen behind in their education to date. There are, for example, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of remedial teachers which means many children finish sixth class without having the requisite competence to enter second level, another reason they may decide to repeat.
It is interesting to note that the Department of Education appear to have changed their rules between this year and last year. For example, at the school in question, Scoil Muire CBS, Mullingar, there were something like 22 pupils repeating sixth class, a number of whom had worked through their own school and a smaller number, approximately ten, who had come into that school from outlying schools to repeat sixth class. The Department wrote to the school last year stating that only the pupils from outside that school would not be counted for numerical purposes. However, within the past month or so the Department have contacted the school stipulating that not alone those pupils coming from outside the area but also those from the school itself repeating sixth class would not be counted for numerical purposes. This is a retrograde step on the part of the Department. It raises parents' rights to decide where their children should attend school. Article 42.3.1º of our Constitution stipulates that parents have the right to decide what school their children should attend. I must now ask the Department: is this right being taken from them? If parents want their children to attend a particular school to repeat a class does this mean that the Department will now force them to send their children to the school stipulated by them, or indeed to change schools at a time they may stipulate?
I might point out that comprehensive documentation was prepared in the case of each pupil who repeated sixth class at this school, comprised of a letter from the parents requesting that their child repeat; a letter and report from the school teacher who had taught the child in addition to a letter from the principal of the school involved. Surely that indicates that these were not rash decisions taken that children should repeat but rather logical ones taken on educational grounds? It appears to me the Department have decided, on financial grounds only, that children must be rushed through primary school, thereby saving a number of teaching posts nationwide which seems totally irresponsible. I appeal to the Minister to do something about it before there is strike action nationwide.
