With the permission of the House, I should like to share my time with Deputy Bradford.
Adjournment Debate. - Mallow (Cork) Primary Schools.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle
I am sure that is satisfactory and agreed.
Before raising an important issue, I thank the Minister of State on having provided £7,000 in well-deserved lottery funding for my local parish hall. I want to raise the problems of primary education in Mallow, County Cork, the largest town in the county outside Cork city.
There are many schools, like that in Cork city to which Deputy Batt O'Keeffe referred, in dire need of replacement and in respect of which many efforts have been undertaken to obtain the requisite capital funding. There are five national schools in the parish of Mallow, one in Rahan. Within the past week I understand that two facilitators from the Department of Education travelled to Mallow and created quite a stir and annoyance to pupils, teachers and management of the three schools located in the town. It appears they spoke of a threatened closure of St. Patrick's national school and a rationalisation programme, which I take to be the hidden agenda, which further exasperated the parents.
On Sunday last ten parents travelled to my home to discuss the serious position which has arisen and the threats to their schools. These are parish schools and, since Mallow is an expanding town — approximately 900 houses and apartments are being built there with an excellent environment, close to Cork City, with good infrastructure, all laid by my party in office, including a modern railway station, roads and so on — I fail to understand the apparent reluctance of the Department to invest in its educational facilities. Indeed the county planners who had predicted that Cork city would spread in another direction have been surprised at its expansion in the direction of Mallow.
Of course, this spreading population adds to the numbers of children seeking primary school places in Mallow. Special classes are held in St. Oliver's, in the local Convent of Mercy, with others for the travelling community in the three schools under threat. St. Patrick's National School in Mallow has 194 pupils and ten teachers. Scoil Iosagáin has 113 pupils, four teachers and six classrooms and the Convent of Mercy has 284 pupils and 16 teachers. Therefore, I cannot understand the Department's failure to allocate extra funding for primary school purposes in this area.
Since we are on the eve of a general election, when we shall be engaging in other business, I want to be fair and get the message across to the Department. I appreciate that the Minister of State always has to substitute for the Minister who appears to be reluctant to face issues here. I do not want to add to his problems but, if his party wants to continue in office in Cork East, I advise him to take urgent action to rectify this deficiency of national school facilities.
Gaelscoil Thomais Daibhis presents a real problem — which local people believe has put pressure on them and exacerbated their difficulties — the proposal is that it should be replaced by one of the other schools. The clear message conveyed to me is that that will not be tolerated and the pupils, teachers and parents of Mallow will not stand for it.
I wish the Minister of State well and thank him for his efforts on behalf of my constituency.
I thank Deputy Ned O'Keeffe for allowing me a few moments to comment on the educational problems experienced in the town of Mallow. As the local Deputy, I am aware of the difficulty with educational facilities in the town. Many people who went to Deputy O'Keeffe on Sunday morning had come to me on Saturday evening.
A new gaelscoil is urgently required. The unanimous view of parents and teachers is that it must be provided at the earliest possible date on the new vocational education committee site available. If that is done, all other schools will have the time and space to expand. Mallow is thriving under the economic boom which we all enjoy. Planning permissions in the town are at a record level and its population is growing at a rate not previously experienced. In future, it will require additional teachers and space. We must ensure the educational future of the town is protected by providing for a gaelscoil on a new site at the earliest possible opportunity and that the other schools are allowed develop and expand in the years ahead.
I thank my colleagues in Cork East, Deputies Bradford and O'Keeffe for giving me a brief opportunity to speak. It is ironic that my last words in this Dáil will be about a matter just outside my constituency but which is of concern to constituents of mine who are in the catchment area for these schools.
Like previous Deputies, I was contacted on this matter. I place on record the strong views conveyed to me by teachers in the existing primary schools that the solution rests in facilitating a new building for Gaelscoil Thomáis Dáibhís on the site of the proposed new Davis College. This would facilitate the creation from it of an all-Irish second level school. I hope the Minister ensures logic prevails as this would be the strong view of all primary schools in Mallow. The projected demographic trends suggest the solution of a greenfield site is the most acceptable and the most suitable arrangement in the long term.
I thank Deputy O'Keeffe for his kind words and positive attitude. I thank the Deputies for raising the matter because it gives me an opportunity to clarify the position on behalf of the Minister.
There are six primary schools in Mallow, including a gaelscoil and a Church of Ireland school. There are a number of major issues relating to the future development of primary education in the town which the Department has to address as a matter of urgency. First is the need to provide satisfactory permanent accommodation for Gaelscoil Thomáis Dáibhís which is located in unsatisfactory prefabricated accommodation.
There are two possible options for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school. One would be to provide capital funding for a greenfield site and a new school building. However, due to the level of resources available and prior commitment to other projects, it could be some time before new accommodation could be provided for the gaelscoil. In view of the urgency of the need for permanent accommodation for Gaelscoil Thomáis Dáibhís, the Department is examining the question of the acquisition of a site. A potential site, identified by the board of management of the gaelscoil, has been inspected by a Department architect and is considered generally suitable. However, while there has been contact with the owners regarding its availability, it has been established that the site does not have direct road access and the question of arranging such through an adjacent site is being examined. A second option would be to seek agreement for the reallocation to the gaelscoil of existing accommodation in other schools which has become surplus to requirements due to declining enrolments.
The second major issue which needs to be addressed by the Department is the significant decline in enrolments in a number of Mallow schools, which raises the question as to the optimum future course of development for those schools. It was considered that a consultative process involving all parties associated with the Mallow schools was called for to identify the most appropriate educational structures for the town and to make the most effective use of existing accommodation.
It was also considered that such a process would be best handled by an independent facilitator who would have an open brief to consult all parties and to put a set of proposals to the Minister for future action. An independent facilitator, Mr. Don Herron, assisted by Mr. Pat Diggins, was accordingly appointed to consult the local educational interests and provide a report and recommendation in the matter. Both have extensive experience in this area. Pending the outcome of the facilitation process, a decision will not be made on the development of primary education in Mallow. The process is about the delivery of the highest standard of primary education for the Mallow area and I know Deputies O'Keeffe, Bradford and Creed would have that interest at heart on behalf of the people of Mallow and surrounding areas.