Thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I welcome your presence in the Chair because I know you will do everything you can to support me on this important issue. I thank the Minister for coming to the House. The loss of one teacher in each of three County Monaghan schools is serious. The chairperson, parents and principal of St. Daig's national school, Inniskeen, roll No. 19251G, believe there are exceptional circumstances. Their letter states:
Our enrolment on 30 September 1999 was 149 pupils. This was one pupil less than the required 150 which would have retained our teacher. Were it not for the unfortunate and tragic death of a pupil in June 1999 we would have had the 150 pupils. Coupled with this, a pupil who was to enrol in September 1999 was too ill to come to school at the time.
The loss of this teacher will mean that a full class, less one pupil, must be divided among the remaining five classes. The present remedial teacher who is fully trained and who, since last September, is the school's first remedial teacher, will be placed on the panel. The teacher who must fill that vacancy as the next remedial teacher will come from within the present staff and will not be trained as a remedial teacher. This speaks for itself.
The second school, Scoil na gCaíliní, Castleblayney, roll No. 16202B, had 119 pupils on 30 September. However, it now has 120 pupils. The chairperson, principal and parents do not understand why they have not been given disadvantaged status which they have sought for the past ten years. Their letter states:
Can the Minister explain why Our Lady's secondary school, which is ten feet from our school, on the same campus, enjoys this status while we do not? Is this not blatant discrimination? Do we not "cherish all children of the nation equally"? We have no remedial teacher on our staff. We have no resource teacher on our staff. We do not have access to an educational psychologist. We have currently ten children awaiting educational assessment. In the relevant school year (1998-9) we had a child assessed who was subsequently sent to a special school because we could not support her education sufficiently. As a result of this we are now losing a teacher.
This school wants to be declared severely disadvantaged and to retain its teacher.
The third school is in north Monaghan and equally merits the retention of its teacher. The principal, chairperson and parents of Scoil Naomh Pádraig, Emyvale, roll No. 18028V, have contacted all Oireachtas Members. On 30 September 1999, they had 204 pupils and will lose the services of a brilliant young teacher because of one pupil. They see this as a scandal. The school has campaigned for four years for a full remedial teacher to deal with 25 pupils. I have forwarded the principal's letter to the Minister and the Department in Athlone. It states:
As a principal and father of three children attending Scoil Naomh Pádraig, I sincerely hope that our application to retain the services of Miss Sinéad McSkane will be looked on favourably in the light of all the above information.
The letter covers the needs of the school and I hope the Minister will read this long and detailed explanation. The schools have asked Oireachtas Members to join together to ensure these teachers are retained. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, no longer has responsibility for education but I hope he will convey the needs of this area to the Minister for Education and Science. County Donegal is the most northerly county and has 100 miles of border. It has suffered most in the past 30 years.
Some 24 to 30 schools are in the same position. It is very difficult to understand why three of those school should be in County Monaghan. Given the peace dividend, this matter should be considered. Each school is one teacher short and if the Leas-Cheann Chomhairle were in different circumstances he might like to speak about it, but I know he supports these schools in trying to have this problem rectified. I hope the Minister has good news, but if he does not have good news today, we will be happy to accept it at any time up to the recess. This is an urgent and important matter.
