Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Dec 1993

Vol. 436 No. 7

Adjournment Debate. - Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, Cork.

Mr. Allen

Ba mhaith liom anocht cúpla focal a rá ar Scoil Pheig Sayers i gCorcaigh i mo dháilcheantar atá i mbaol dúnadh. The Minister for Education has refused to designate the school as being in a disadvantaged area. I cannot understand the Minister's decision because the school is seriously overcrowded. The conditions are so bad that three children were withdrawn from the school in recent times. Previously there were 92 pupils in the school. Níl ach 89 daltaí ann anois. Tension is running high because of the situation there. First, second and third classes are in a tiny room which allows only 9.5 square feet per pupil, whereas the Department of Education guidelines require space per child, excluding furniture, to amount to 15 square feet per child. Fourth, fifth and sixth classes are in another tiny room and because of conditions there children are falling behind in their school performance.

The teachers there are very committed. I and other TDs in my constituency, a Minister and school inspectors, have visited the school and have all expressed dismay that the situation prevailing there could be allowed to exist. The school has an extra empty room, courtesy of Na Piarsaigh Hurling and Football Club and if they had an extra teacher, appointed under the disadvantaged areas scheme, the situation could be defused and the school could operate as normal, learning and teaching could take place in a healthy environment.

I cannot understand why the Minister has refused to designate the school as being in a deprived area because the north side of Cork city has been designated as an area of disadvantage due to high unemployment and other adverse circumstances. Thirteen schools on the North side have been granted disadvantaged status by the Department and have the extra teachers they are entitled to because of that status.

In the school in question the involvement and commitment of the parents and teachers must be seen to be believed. The Gaelscoil is disadvantaged to a far greater extent than any other school that I am aware of and the Christian Brother who is chairman of the board, the teachers and parents are fully committed to the survival of the school. The school authorities have made several attempts to have the school recognised as being in a disadvantaged area and have submitted all the relevant data which show that 58 per cent of the parents are unemployed and 67 per cent of them live in local authority housing. They also qualify in the context of the other parameters set up by the Department.

The Gaelscoileanna in Cork city have been a huge success, despite the obstacles and challenges they have faced to date. However, parents are becoming increasingly disillusioned and teachers are under pressure because there is a danger the school may fold up and there is no alternative vacant building in the area. They are tied to that building which has an extra room and could facilitate an additional teacher which would relieve some of the pressure. At a time when there is so much talk about spending money on Teilifís na Gaeilge, we should also acknowlege that the future of the Irish language lies in the development of the language at primary school level. The greatest medium for preserving and developing our language is through our primary schools and I appeal to the Minister to make a positive decision in this case.

Mr. Aylward

I thank Deputy Allen for raising this matter and affording me the opportunity to clarify the position.

Where access to education services is concerned, I regard any individual or group as being disadvantaged if, for socio-economic reasons or because of handicap or disability, they are in any way impeded in participating in and benefiting fully from the normally available range of educational services.

There is abundant evidence that educational qualifications or the lack of them determine to a large extent the life chances of our young people. The likelihood of obtaining educational qualifications is closely associated with social background and the children of socio-economically deprived groups constitute a majority of those who do not benefit from the educational system.

The link between educational deprivation and unemployment is clear. The majority of those who are long-term unemployed have few or no educational qualifications, have left school early and have not benefited from the educational system.

It is clear, therefore, that education plays an indirect but important part in the perpetuation of poverty. The children of deprived groups are themselves most likely to leave the educational system early, to experience unemployment and to have limited chances. Thus, the cycle of deprivation is perpetuated.

I see the breaking of this cycle of deprivation as one of the single greatest challenges facing our education system. I am particularly pleased, therefore, to note that concrete measures have been taken in the current year to contribute to this process with the firm backing of all my colleagues in the Government, whose commitment to this area is strongly reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government.

The disadvantaged areas scheme plays an important part in our initiatives to break the cycle of deprivation by early intervention at primary school level. Schools included in this scheme not only receive extra teaching posts but qualify for a supplementary capitation grant at a rate of £17 per pupil.

I am pleased it has been possible to allocate a further 68 posts to this scheme in the current year which facilitated the inclusion of 50 new schools in the disadvantaged areas scheme. This brings the total number of schools in this scheme to 258, embracing 76,000 pupils.

A further £100,000 has been made available in supplementary capitation grant supports to schools identified as having significant levels of socio-economic disadvantage, but which did not rate high enough for a concessionary post. In addition, a sum of £250,000 has also been made available this year to alleviate the burden of certain schools in disadvantaged areas who are in severe financial crisis.

The home-school community liaison scheme has been further extended by 15 co-ordinator posts, bringing the total number of schools in this scheme to 106 at primary level with the services of 60 co-ordinators embracing 34,000 pupils.

The procedure for selecting schools for inclusion in the disadvantaged areas scheme have, to date, been based on a range of socio-economic criteria agreed by a working party comprised of representatives of the Department of Education, the INTO and schools' management.

The factors taken into account include the incidence of unemployment, local authority housing and medical card holders among the parents of the children concerned. Account is also taken of the views of my Department's inspectorate on the relative levels of need between schools and the prevailing pupil teacher ratios.

Earlier this year all primary schools not already in the scheme were invited to apply for inclusion in the scheme and to submit relevant data based on these criteria. The applicant schools were assessed and given priority in order of need. I regret that the school referred to by the Deputy did not rate highly enough for inclusion on this occasion.

The question of a further expansion of the scheme to embrace additional schools is being kept under review and the needs of all schools, including the one mentioned by the Deputy, will be considered in this context.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Michael Kitt was selected by me to raise a matter on the Adjournment. However, I understand the Deputy is unavoidably absent and wishes to extend his apology to the House, the Minister and the Department concerned.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.5 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 8 December 1993.