I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise the matter of accommodation in Balscadden national school in north County Dublin. This school, which was opened in 1986, is comprised of six classrooms, one general purpose room, one staff room, which is 14 feet by nine feet nine inches, and one room which is 13 feet three inches by nine feet two inches. This room serves as office, medical room and library. For the past four years the general purpose room has been used as a classroom and this year it has been further subdivided with a wooden partition to accommodate two classes, fifth and sixth classes, with 21 and 24 pupils respectively.
Having visited the school recently, I can confirm the situation is totally unacceptable in terms of the children's education, welfare, health and safety. Other factors include noise and light – one can hear the normal interaction of teacher and children in other rooms and there is no natural light in the temporary rooms as those rooms have no windows. Ventilation and heating are also matters of great concern to both teachers and parents.
The school has a teaching principal, six teachers and a shared remedial teacher. The morning I visited the school the remedial teacher was using an already congested small staff room to teach her pupils. I was appalled that the pupils in most need of attention were being taught in such an environment. There were five or six computers in the narrow hallway leading from the front door – that is where these children are being introduced to computer studies. Given that the general purpose room is being used as a classroom, there is no room for subjects such as physical education, drama and dancing, although there is a great tradition of drama and dancing in rural north County Dublin. Accordingly, it is very sad that these subjects are unavailable in the school.
I compliment the principal and staff on the way they have overcome these difficulties to give their best to the children. Notwithstanding their success, the situation is totally unsatisfactory. The pupils' parents are threatening to protest at the Department's inaction and one cannot blame them. I have asked them to withhold action pending an early response from the Minister. The ball is in the Minister of State's court. According to new staffing schedules, the school is entitled to an additional teacher from next September. I understand that an inspector from the Department visited the school last September and was apprised of the situation. It is totally unacceptable that the Department has not contacted the board of management by this time of year to confirm that approval has been sanctioned for two additional classrooms for September next. Such an announcement is critical, as planning permission must be secured and the classrooms must be in place by the end of August. Nothing else is acceptable.
In an era of unprecedented economic buoyancy, with more money available to this Government than to any other in the history of the State, it is a scandal that the children of Balscadden are subjected to such draconian conditions. The ball is over the Minister of State.
