Vol. 500 No. 2
72 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Education and Science the facilities and supports that primary and secondary schools are required to provide for pupils; the position regarding facilities for a computer room, science, arts and crafts facility, physical education and sport; if these facilities should be purpose built accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3575/99]
At post-primary level, the extent of the facilities available at any given school will largely depend on the curricular range being offered and this can vary considerably from school to school. In drawing up the schedules of accommodation for new buildings, provision is made for specialist areas such as science laboratories, language laboratories, libraries, metalwork rooms, construction studies areas, home economics rooms, computer rooms, etc. It is also the policy of my Department to provide PE halls at all new schools and at schools which are undergoing a major extension. Where schools wish to offer a particular curricular option but do not have the physical facilities to cater for it, they may apply to the post primary building unit of my Department for capital funding. Such applications will be assessed on the basis of need and the availability of funding.
At primary level, the infrastructure facilities are geared towards meeting the needs of the curriculum and the scale of such facilities varies with the size of a school. The position in respect of computer rooms is that the National Centre for Technology in Education is currently considering whether such rooms are appropriate for primary schools. All school accommodation is designed and built with reference to the purpose for which it is intended.
