Vol. 434 No. 2
65 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the serious pupil number decline in the Achill area of County Mayo; if she has considered the consequences of this for the education of pupils from the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
My Department is aware that there has been a significant decline in the number of children attending primary schools in the Achill area and that this decline will result in a corresponding decline at the post-primary level. At primary level, the possibility of an amalgamation of schools in the Achill area will be considered by my Department, in consultation with local interests, in a way that will weigh the capital and transport costs and the longer journeys to school against the educational benefits resulting from larger school units.
At post-primary level, my Department has, for many years, considered that the two existing schools in Achill should amalgamate into a single school which would be capable of providing a comprehensive range of facilities and subjects. It has not, however, proved possible, in the past, to get full local agreement on such an amalgamation. My Department intends to raise the matter again with both school managements.
