Is mian liom buíochas a ghabháil don Leas-Cheann Comhairle, as ucht cead a thabhairt chun an cheist seo a phlé anocht. Ba mhaith liom ceist a ardú maidir le droch staid cheann de na scoileanna i mo Dháil Cheantair féin, Scoil Mológa, bunscoil lán Ghaeilge, atá ag feidhmiú faoi láthair i gceann de na foirgnimh is measa sa tír, ní hamháin de réir liosta an INTO ach i dtuairim na tuismitheoirí, na múinteoirí agus comharsain na scoile.
Seo scoil den chéad scoth, le múinteoirí den chéad scoth, tuismitheoirí atá ag fulaingt agus daltaí atá ag freastal ar scoil atá i ndroch fhoirg neamh nach bhfuil oiriúnach a thuilleadh do chaighdeán oideachais atá na múinteoirí agus na tuismitheoirí ag iarraidh a sholáthar. Is cosúil ag an bpointe seo go bhfuil foirgneamh na scoile ag titim as a chéile toisc nach spéis leis an Aire nó an Roinn aon rud fiúntach a dhéanamh faoi.
Is deacair a thuiscint cén fáth nach bhfuil an tAire nó an Roinn sásta cinneadh a dhéanamh maidir leis an scoil seo a ath-chóiriú, scoil nua a thógaint nó na maisiúcháin is práinní a dhéanamh le gur féidir leanúint le scolaíocht shláintiúil feasta i Scoil Mológa.
This school was built in the 1930s as a girls' school and it later became a Gaelscoil for boys and girls. This year the school had to turn away 62 pupils, which is an indicator of its popularity and how it is regarded by parents in the area and from far outside the immediate locality.
The school is in the INTO list of worst schools yet it has excellent teachers and parents who are endeavouring to provide their children with the best education. Five classes share one toilet with four toilet bowls. The school has no hall, library, computer room or art room. The remedial teacher and special needs teacher share a desk divided by a partition in one of the school corridors. If the children want to do PE, they can only do so by hiring an adjoining hall of another school at 9 a.m. They have no storage space for their sports gear so they carry it back and forth each time they need to use it. There have been three separate reports by the Department. One recommended renovation of the school, the second recommended reconstruction and a third report recommended that a new school should be built. There has been no communication from the Department for 18 months.
The school and the parents have been patient but they need a commitment that they will see positive action on the facilities that are being provided. I accept that there has been a major commitment to school building programmes but this is no good to the teachers, pupils and the parents of Scoil Mológa. They have not seen any of the benefits of this programme and many children will go through their entire primary school years in an appalling building. Teachers who have worked there for years are fed up with the conditions and yet they continue to deliver top class education to their pupils because of their personal commitment.
They have waited almost two years for a reply from the Department. They do not know whether they are considered to be in line for renovations, reconstruction or an entire new building. I am asking that Scoil Mológa be given a commitment that work will commence in 2002.
