I thank you for the opportunity to raise the important topic of the proposed closure of St. Anne's girls' national school, Milltown. This topic should be discussed as it raises several serious questions about school closures, the rights of parents and families of children attending schools and the role of the Church in education.
St. Anne's is a unique primary school in that it caters for children with special needs and children from the travelling community as well as the regular mainstream classes. Can the Minister clarify the role of the Department of Education in the proposed closure of this school; what advice, if any, the Department offered about closure; whether she is satisfied with the procedures followed in this case and if the school is to close what provision is to be made for the children attending St. Anne's primary school?
I raised with the Minister for Education the shortage of primary school places in the surrounding areas of Ranelagh, Donnybrook and Rathgar. This primary school is in a developing area. The Sisters of Charity are the trustees. There are 150 pupils attending the school and increasing enrolments are expected in the coming years. There are senior and junior special classes and the building is in good repair. A letter from the trustees to all parents stated that the school will close in the 1994-95 school year. The parents state that this decision was made without sufficient consultation with all the partners in education and it has sent shock waves to the parents of the children attending the school.
It is extraordinary in this day and age, that without prior consultation or agreement with parents, a decision has been taken to close the school. There is major anxiety among parents and children about the alternative possibilities of children having to travel outside the area — vulnerable children in the classes for pupils with special needs and travellers. There have been rumours for some time but no definite information.
At the behest of the school principal, I approached the Department of Education last year with two requests, for a once-off grant of £20,000 and the retention of the administrative principal. I was informed that the Department was unable to provide the money. What part has the refusal to this request played in the decision to close the school and what were the consequences of that refusal? Is it true that a letter recommending closure was issued from the Department? This needs to be clarified.
I understand that the board, by a majority decision, decided that alternative proposals which would illustrate the financial viability of the school should be presented to the trustees. The trustees said they were concerned about the decline in enrolment, increasing debts and cost of maintenance of school buildings. In reply, parents and teachers say that the decline in enrolments is due in part to the lack of commitment shown to the school by the trustees during the past eight years and parents have become nervous about sending their children to this school. Will the Minister agree that constant rumours about a school creates an unsatisfactory situation? Parents and teachers would also say that no apparent maintenance work to the building is required at present. Do the trustees wish to withdraw from education for commercial rather than educational reasons? What is the Minister's view on this?
I understand that Dublin Corporation has already been approached for consultation on the lands in Milltown prior to planning permission being sought. The population of Milltown is growing rapidly. Many parents believe it is vital that the only Catholic primary school in the parish remains open. It is clear also that the continuity which the special class offers is very important in St. Anne's. It is the only one of its type in the country in that it provides continuous education right up to leaving certificate standard.
I understand that parents and teachers would like to see this school continue and flourish. Parents should not have been taken almost completely unawares. They are in a state of severe shock at the news and are uncertain about their children's future. I am aware of the difficulties involved but the Department of Education who provide the money for such schools must have a say in establishing guidelines to ensure that similar problems do not arise in the future.
The Catholic Church has been keen to maintain and have an input into new schools, for example, in Dunboyne. Here, the trustees are pulling out of education despite the wishes of the parents, the teachers and the local community that the school continue to provide a service to an expanding area. Can this school be handed over to the local community?
We have a crisis in St. Anne's girls' national school in Milltown which should never have arisen for either the children, parents or teachers involved. I look forward to the comments of the Minister of State.
