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.