Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 7 Mar 2002

Vol. 550 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Schools Building Projects.

Mr. McGrath:

I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise the important matter of the Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan on the Adjournment. I express once again my severe and grave disappointment that the Minister for Education and Science could not find the time to come to the House. Matters relating to education and schools are raised night after night in the House, but the relevant Minister, Deputy Woods, never appears. It is not good enough and he should appear here.

If he were here, the Minister would learn about the urgency of the situation that Deputy Penrose and I will outline tonight. If he is interested in providing a better education service throughout the country, he should come to the House to defend his stewardship of his Department. The Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, has an enrolment of 174 boys and 153 girls, representing an increase of 15% in the last ten years. The staff complement in the school is 27 teachers and one will not find a more talented and dedicated group in Ireland.

The school originated in a three-room building in 1894 and there was a plethora of additions to the campus in the early 1990s. A further prefab was added in 1998 to house the home economics department. The school has been allowed to develop in an ad hoc manner and now comprises six different buildings on the site, with various linking corridors. The fact that 11 entry points to the school can be accessed by the public is a source of difficulty. The Minister of State, Deputy Moffatt, will appreciate that there are difficulties with supervision and heating. Pupils and teachers can have problems moving between the various buildings on wet days. Inadequate classroom provision makes specialist room allocation almost impossible. Sanitary facilities for staff and students are wholly inadequate and office and administration facilities need to be extended and upgraded. Physical education facilities in the school are very limited, as although there is a sports hall, no changing facilities are available.

The Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan is adjacent to the busy N6 national route, the proximity of which poses safety problems for students, parents and staff. Kilbeggan is an expanding town and the number of children in the catchment area points to a need for further expansion. The most recent census indicated there will be an increased demand for school facilities in the area in the near future. Kilbeggan needs a new school building on a new site. Such a development would provide the facilities needed by a modern school, such as science laboratories, an art and music room and language laboratories. I understand that a site has been made available for such a new development and an application for a new school has been lodged in the Department of Education and Science.

I want the Minister of State to tell the House the status of the application that has been made by the school authorities. Has it been approved? Is the Department ready to approve the new site and allow the project proceed to architectural planning? The students and teachers of the Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan deserve a fair crack of the whip and I hope the Minister of State will give us good news.

Mr. Penrose:

I am glad to have the opportunity to raise this important issue. Extra accommodation facilities are urgently needed for the Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, a school of great historical import ance which dates back to 1894 and is located in the heart of the county. The fact it is at the junction of the busy N6 and N52 roadways is a cause for safety concerns. I am deeply disappointed that the Minister, Deputy Woods, has never come to the House to discuss the matters we have raised on the Adjournment.

The original three rooms in the school, dating back to 1894, were renovated in 1955. A metalwork room was added in 1964, two classrooms and two science laboratories were added in 1966 and a sports hall, a woodwork room and two other rooms were added in the 1970s. Three classrooms, a principal's office and an administration office were added in 1990 and a home economics room was added in 1998. As Deputy McGrath said, student numbers have increased from about 230 in 1985 to 327 today – 174 boys and 153 girls. The school is expanding and achieving tremendous academic results, which speaks volumes for the dedication and professionalism of the 27 teaching and management staff and the application of the students.

However, there is deep concern regarding the age of the current buildings and the ad hoc nature of the development of the accommodation needs on the campus which consists of six different buildings with 11 different public entry points. There is also a major deficiency in the provision of classrooms and specialist rooms. Likewise, there are inadequate sanitary facilities for staff and students and inadequate office and administration facilities. In this day and age the PE hall, which everyone agrees is an important part of the provision of education, is totally unsuitable to meet the needs of the increasing number of students at this school. There are no proper changing facilities and there are leakages and so on in the building.

The lack of social, recreational and assembly space is a major drawback. The parents of the students are extremely disheartened by the length of time it is taking to progress the building programme which is necessary for this school. The application seeking the new buildings was submitted in April 2000 and the school principal has completed all the necessary structural data records. It is time the Government took its head out of the sand and stopped playing with the future of our students. I ask the Minister to approve the necessary accommodation to meet the requirements of teachers, management and students of this expanding school.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Dr. Moffatt):

I thank the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position regarding the application by the school management authorities for an extension to and refurbishment of existing accommodation at the Mercy secondary school, Kilbeggan, County Westmeath. The Mercy secondary school, which is co-educational, is the only post-primary school in the centre. Pupil numbers in the school have remained steady in recent years and the current enrolment is 327 pupils. The application for an extension includes the need for a library and a number of specialist rooms, as well as the refurbishment of the existing accommodation.

Before remedial or improvement works are approved for any school, it is necessary to carry out a long-term enrolment projection on which to base the school's future accommodation requirements. This process involves a detailed analysis of previous enrolment patterns at the school, together with projected output from primary schools in the catchment area over the next seven to eight years. Account is also taken of other factors such as significant housing development, if any, which might impact on the school-going population in the area.

The process of determining the long-term enrolment for the Mercy secondary school, Kilbeggan, is well under way and consideration of the application has involved consultation with the school authorities. Information on recent and planned housing developments is also being examined in conjunction with projected demographic changes for the area and the County Westmeath development plan. The planning section of the Department of Education and Science will be in touch with the school authorities as soon as this examination is complete. At that stage the school authorities will be afforded an opportunity to comment on the long-term projected enrolment on which the Department will base the school's future requirements. Following from the agreement of the school authorities in this regard, the post-primary building unit will determine how best these requirements can be met.