Without any disrespect to the Minister of State at the Department of Education, I must voice my concern that the Minister for Education has not seen fit to come into the House for this Adjournment Debate to respond to an important educational issue affecting parents and children in the Cork City area. It seems to be a policy of the Minister for Education not to attend Adjournment debates on education issues. That is a fundamental disregard to the House and for the rights of the Members of this House and does not augur well for accountability or making oneself fully answerable to the House in relation to duties and responsibilities in this area. While the Minister of State would be aware of the issue, I understand he does not have statutory responsibility for the policy issue at the root of this matter. I raise the issue to convey the deep sense of anger and anxiety felt by the parents of the young children in the Ballyphehane, Togher and Greenmount catchment areas of Cork city who have no second level school places available to them.
The factors that gave rise to this problem were signalled to the Department of Education as far back as autumn 1993. On 30 November 1993 the Minister for Education, Deputy Bhreathnach, acknowledged a letter from the principal of one of the local primary schools and the chairman of the board of management thanking them for their letter about second level school places in their area. She said she was having the matter looked into within the Department and would be in touch at a later date. In May last year the principal again wrote to the Minister for Education alerting her to the situation that was about to arise. Again, nothing was done until the parents concerned met as a group in early January and lobbied their TDs and the Department to try to move the situation forward. Parents should not have to do this, nor should we wait until the eleventh hour before taking action. Why can we not have more long term planning to avert such a state of affairs? The children and the parents deserve better. There are options available which should be considered seriously. The relevant parties should be approached and asked if they are willing to assist. If not, they should be ruled out of the equation.
I raise this question to put as much pressure as possible on the Minister and the Department to arrive at a solution. I met the principals of the secondary schools in the area and all the parties involved, and everyone is aware of the three or four options which are on the table. However, little action has been taken to rule out those options that are no longer feasible or make a decision as to the best available option. The primary consideration must be to determine the most educationally sound option for the children concerned. When we have decided that we should pursue it vigorously.
In the light of this experience the Minister should review the procedures for entry to secondary schools. Parents were extremely angry that the dignity of their children was reduced to the status of a lottery ticket. It is unacceptable that the drawing of names from a hat should determine the educational future of a child. To realise the anger and frustration of the parents one would have to experience it at first hand. I urge the Minister to review this matter. The abolition of entrance exams was lauded as a great move forward, but it was not thought through. Now more difficult problems arise and children are told they cannot go forward to the second level school in their area because their names were not drawn out of a hat. That is unfair and unjust. Before any new procedures for entry to second level schools are introduced by a Minister they should be thought through more fully so that structures are not put in place that reflect badly on the Government and the Department.
In my capacity as Chairman of the City of Cork Vocational Education Committee, I am aware that this problem goes back a long time. I have an entire file on it. The vocational education committee will not be found wanting and will not leave these children on the streets. However, we do not have the critical mass of pupils to make feasible the option of a second level stream in Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa and we are not sure if that would be the most educationally sound option. There are options in the context of the other secondary schools in the area. The Presentation Convent girls school in Ballyphehane is an option that should be pursued.
Although people more experienced in this field will say that the matter will eventually be sorted out, the parents of the children concerned cannot wait any longer. They need a resolution of their problem now to allay their anxiety and enable them to plan for the educational future of their children.
