Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 1994

Vol. 437 No. 6

Written Answers. - Ballaghaderreen (Roscommon) School.

Thomas Foxe

Question:

88 Mr. T. Foxe asked the Minister for Education when the new single school complex in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, will be in operation; if vocational and technical subjects will be given equal status with academic subjects; if the posts of principal and vice-principal will be open to all eligible teachers; the position regarding schools in Ballaghaderreen in September 1994; if there will be an amalgamation of a vocational school, a convent school and a voluntary secondary school, whether this is the first time there was such an amalgamation; if all teachers in the three centres will be guaranteed their jobs without any loss, whether financial or in terms of status; the number of A posts and B posts involved; the number of permanent teachers at present in the three schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

It is the intention that the new school in Ballaghaderreen should come into operation from the beginning of the school year 1994-95. This will be a voluntary secondary school replacing two existing secondary schools and a vocational school. A comparable amalgamation involving the replacement of a secondary school and a vocational school took place in Swinford, County Mayo in 1992.

While the choice of subjects to be provided within a particular school is a matter for the school authorities, within the broad parameters laid down by the Department, one of the primary purposes of rationalisation is to make it possible for schools to offer a broader range of curriculum choice. I am confident that the school authorities will avail of the capacity of the new school to offer their students a broad and balanced choice of subjects.

The appointment of the principal and vice-principal of the amalgamated school is a matter for the school authorities in the first instance. On the general question of staffing, there are at present 53 permanent teachers on the staff of the three schools in Ballaghaderreen, including ten holders of A-post allowances and 16 holders of B-post allowances. Discussions will be held shortly with the interested parties on the staffing of the school following rationalisation and I do not wish to pre-empt those discussions. However, I can say at this stage that no permanent teacher will lose his/her job as a result of the rationalisation and the usual conditions in relation to the retention of post-of-responsibility allowances will apply.