I thank the Minister, Deputy Woods, for attending to listen to my plea on behalf of the teachers, pupils and parents at Castlelyons national school, County Cork. The Minister, being relatively new to the Department, may not be fully aware of the history of the school and this problem. The school management board has been in contact with the Department on many occasions in recent years in relation to a number of serious infrastructural problems in the school which require a positive response from the Department. The first issue relates to toilet facilities within the school which are entirely insufficient for this day and age. It is not acceptable that boys and girls must cross the yard to their respective toilets, particularly during wet weather. This should not be the case in the era of the Celtic tiger. The toilet facilities in the school need urgent improvement. Representations have been made in the matter to the Minister's office on a number of occasions and I am hoping for a positive reply.
One classroom within the school is in such poor condition that it needs complete renovation. There are problems with the floor, the walls and the windows. This matter has also been brought to the attention of the Department on a number of occasions and there has been no response. This problem is worthy of attention.
Remedial education in the school is proving difficult because of a lack of proper accommodation. The existing remedial room is much too small for the teacher and pupils who have to use it. In this day and age of remedial education it is important that proper facilities are available in all our schools. Unfortunately, at Castlelyons the remedial room is much too small and is also in need of refurbishment. Some of the school furniture which is in place since the school was built in 1967 is in a poor condition. It has served its time and purpose and is in need of replacement.
The official school office is not much bigger than a car trailer at 10 ft. by 6 ft. A school which has a teaching staff of six needs a somewhat larger office. This matter has been brought to the attention of the Department on numerous occasions and a response is awaited. That type of office accommodation is not acceptable today.
A valid complaint has been made that the school is in need of a staff room. That is not an extraordinary request. Currently the six staff members spend their break time in one of the classrooms. That is far from the ideal and must be remedied at the earliest possible date.
The interior walls of the building are in need of painting. The school is also in need of floor covering and furniture. Collectively all the problems outlined paint a bleak picture of the school's infrastructure. From an academic point of view, the school is outstanding, has a good record and is respected within the community. What is lacking, however, is investment by the Department of Education and Science in the school's facilities.
A detailed dossier was sent to the Minister's Department in early 1999. Since then there has been a degree of correspondence but it has been one-sided. The Department's response has been inadequate. I hope the Minister will take time to look at the file, note the serious problems that exist, accept there must be an immediate response from his Department and provide the funding to ensure teachers, pupils and the people of Castlelyons have the type of school they need and deserve in 2000.
Minister for Education and Science
(Dr. Woods): I am glad the Deputy has given me an opportunity to outline to the House my Department's current position regarding the provision of improved accommodation at Castlelyons national school. The school has a staffing level of principal, four assistant teachers and a shared remedial teacher. The school's facilities consist of five classrooms and a general-purpose room.
My Department received an application last year from the management authorities of the school seeking grant assistance towards additional facilities and major refurbishment works. My Department's planning and building unit is currently assessing the long-term enrolment situation at the school. This process is expected to be completed shortly and further consideration will then be given to the future accommodation needs of the school. I note what the Deputy said about the need for urgent refurbishment.
The Deputy will appreciate that there are a large number of schools building projects on hand within my Department. Because of the priority which the Government has given to reversing the neglect of our primary schools evident previously, the spending estimates show primary school building and renovation funding increasing by an unprecedented 186% from the 1997 budget allocation. In addition, we have significantly reduced the burden of fundraising faced by schools and communities throughout the country.
I assure the Deputy that the application by the management authorities of Castlelyons national school will be dealt with as speedily as possible. I have noted the points made concerning the toilets, classroom, remedial room, office inadequacy, the lack of a staff room and the problems with the interior and will follow them up.