Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2001

Vol. 529 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Schools Building Projects.

Mr. Coveney

I am pleased to see that a Minister from Cork has chosen to answer this question. I look forward to hearing his reply. Last week, the Irish National Teachers Organisation published a list of seriously substandard primary schools in various areas around the country. The INTO undertook the study in the form of a questionnaire. Schools were asked to complete a check-list outlining substandard features in their buildings. The check-list featured the worst features a school could have, including sub-standard outdoor toilets, inadequate heating systems, unsanitary conditions, including evidence of vermin, and a lack of hand-washing and drying facilities.

The results of the survey among the 40 worst schools were alarming. Half of them had evidence of rats or mice, while 75% had inadequate toilet facilities and a quarter of those were outdoor toilets. Some 65% had inadequate hand-washing or drying facilities for children and 45% had inadequate heating in classrooms. Some 50% had no drinking water for students, while 45% had rotting windows or doors.

I recognise that while Deputy Martin was the Minister responsible, the Department of Education and Science invested quite significantly and made capital improvements to many primary schools, particularly in the Cork region. Clearly, however, a serious amount of capital investment still has to be made, particularly in primary schools. Of the 40 schools on this list my attention was drawn to the fact that five of them, or one eighth, are from Cork city and county. They are: Gaelscoil An Teaghlaigh Naofa in Ballyphehane; Maultrahane national school in Leap; Knocknamanagh national school, Minane Bridge, County Cork, to which I will refer again in a moment; Curraneasig national school in Kilbrittain; and Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers in Cork city.

Will the Minister, Deputy Martin, ask the Minister for Education and Science to appoint someone from his Department to investigate the conditions in these Cork schools and in the remaining 35 schools that have been pinpointed in this report? In that way we can put the resources in place to ensure that a common standard applies to all primary schools.

I have a specific concern relating to Minane Bridge national school. I am reliably informed that this school is not on the list due to hygiene issues but because of serious overcrowding involving lack of space in classrooms and in the school yard. There are 142 students there at present, with four teachers in four small classrooms. Two of those classrooms are made up of one room which is divided by a temporary partition.

In 1998 this school applied for two extra classrooms. It also applied for assembly rooms comprising a staff room, a small room for a remedial teacher and a covered recreational area to facilitate children when it is raining. Yet, nothing concrete has occurred in the past two years. When the extension was applied for, the school had only 120 pupils but, as I have pointed out, it now has 142. Next year, the enrolment will be between 150 and 160. As the Minister knows, this means an extra teacher will be involved due to the pupil-teacher ratio guidelines. This, in turn, will necessitate the provision of an extra classroom.

Minane Bridge is an example of an old rural school that has had to expand due to an increase in population from an expanding town nearby. In the immediate term the school requires one, if not two prefabricated buildings to relieve overcrowding. In the medium to long-term, however, serious capital investment will be required to extend the school so that children in the area can be provided with a proper standard of education. Primary education is the key to moulding our young people. I have heard the Minister, Deputy Martin, speak many times about the importance of primary education, and I agree with him.

I look forward to hearing his response and witnessing swift action, particularly for Minane Bridge national school.

Mr. Martin

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue this evening and for giving me an opportunity to outline, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, the current position regarding Minane Bridge national school, County Cork.

From my experience, I would take issue with the INTO's list. It is somewhat disingenuous in that it fails to mention that sanction for extension projects, that are either at design stage or close to it and indeed to tendering, has been approved for the vast majority of schools on the list. For example, I sanctioned an extension project for one school the Deputy mentioned, Gaelscoil An Teaghlaigh Naofa, over 18 months ago.

Mr. Browne

(Carlow-Kilkenny): The Minister should not have left that Department.

Mr. Martin

It is close to the tendering process. It is disgraceful for the INTO to have put that school on a list that refers to a lack of hygiene and rodent infestation because the school does not have those problems, neither does Minane Bridge national school. This concerns relativity and how we prioritise matters.

Mr. Coveney

I am not suggesting that all the schools have such problems.

Mr. Martin

I know but the INTO allegation about rats has been a feature of such press releases for about ten or 15 years. One could acknowledge that there has been a dramatic increase in investment, particularly since 1997. Now and again, I used to joke with the INTO that I had not seen the rat for quite some time, but it re-emerged last week. As regards some of these schools there was an element of not being up front. The Deputy may be aware of what happened in the case of Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers. The Department was anxious to build a school. We sanctioned it and funded it but there was a third party planning objection. There are disgraceful conditions in that gaelscoil, which is in a GAA complex, and the facilities are very difficult. A site was secured and the community was behind it. An application for planning permission was made and it went to An Bord Pleanála but it was overruled, unfortunately in my opinion because it meant the children were deprived of better conditions. This was not due to lack of funding or of effort or commitment by the Department, yet the impression given, if one sees it on the INTO list, is that it was. It most certainly was not, however. These points need to be made.

Having said that, I acknowledge that there are schools on the list whose conditions are not acceptable and that we should improve. As the Deputy pointed out, Minane Bridge national school has a staffing level of a principal, four mainstream class teachers, one shared learning support teacher and one shared resource teacher. An application has been received from the management authority of the school seeking grant assistance towards an extension consisting of an additional classroom, a general purpose room, a store room, office staff room and general refurbishment.

The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Education and Science has produced a new template for primary schools, and was working on it for quite some time. Over a year ago it produced what, ideally, every primary school should have. That involves a general purpose room, even for small schools, and remedial rooms. More applications are coming in as a result. The Department is obviously assessing enrolment projections, but I assure the Deputy that we will do whatever we can to try to progress this particular application as speedily as we can. Both the Deputy and the school authorities will be kept informed of developments.

Significant progress has been made by the Government over the past three years in eliminating substandard schools from our education system. Since taking office the Government has invested massively in capital projects for the primary sector. For 2000, £81 million was allocated for primary school capital projects. This has been increased to £93 million for the current school year and compares with only £19.5 million in 1993 and £34 million in 1997.

Under the national development plan an unprecedented £413 million has been set aside for school infrastructure. In addition to these measures, the level of grant aid under the capital devolved grant scheme for the primary sector was recently increased. Given the capital devolved grants that have been given out, there is no excuse for any school not having proper water supplies, no matter what kind of building it is. That is a matter for the boards of management and I would not accept that any school, nowadays, should not have such facilities.

Last year £14 million was allocated on that scheme alone. A similar amount will be allocated for this current school year. That is a matter for the boards of management of the schools and I would not accept that any school nowadays should not have that.

Some £14 million was allocated to that scheme alone in 2000 and a similar amount will be allocated for the current school year. That empowers boards of management to address health and safety issues at local level.

From the outset, this Government has made education a top priority. Never in our history has so much money been invested in education as this Government has invested over the past three years. We acknowledge that much remains to be done and we remain committed to education as a top priority and we will continue to build on the progress we have made to date. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We will certainly do what we can to try to accelerate the project.