I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House but I am disappointed that the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Dempsey, has not taken the time to come in to address this Adjournment issue.
I am raising the case of the Beneavin De La Salle College in Finglas. It is a scandal that in 2003, school pupils and staff are expected to function in a school that is totally inadequate, overcrowded and unsafe. Beneavin De La Salle College is a 40 year old building that was not of particularly good quality when it was originally built. The problem is that it has been left in its original state with little or no refurbishment since then. It is overcrowded and needs to be extended and totally upgraded.
It is wrong to expect pupils to operate in a building like this. These pupils come from low and middle income families – they are not well off by any means – and many of those families would be struggling to keep their sons in school. In these circumstances, and in all circumstances related to young people, we should show them respect and try to encourage them to respect education. That is difficult if the State is not prepared to provide adequate school buildings and expects young people to operate in dilapidated, outdated conditions that would be more appropriate to the 1950s.
It is also wrong to expect staff to work in such conditions. No other group of workers would put up with the substandard conditions staff in Beneavin and many other schools are expected to tolerate. All of the school's roofs are leaking and the windows are draughty and need to be replaced urgently. The heating system is completely inadequate – the boiler is 40 years old. When the school was extended in 1981, the same boiler was used and it cannot provide adequate heat to meet even the minimum standards set down for schools.
The toilets are a disgrace, again like something from the 1950s. We should not expect people to put up with such conditions. The science rooms are the original rooms from 40 years ago, completely dilapidated with the original furniture still in place. One of the science rooms was seriously damaged in a fire in 1998. One of the walls was badly burnt and it has not been replaced or repaired because the school was told to wait for the full refurbishment job. The school now, therefore, has a science room with a fire damaged wall, ancient furniture and equipment. This is at a time when we are trying to encourage young people to take an interest in the sciences but it is clear to them that the Government is not interested in teaching the sciences in a modern environment. Mixed messages are being sent.
The computer room is in a converted toilet, the technology room in a converted football changing room and the library in a converted cloakroom. All of those conversions were carried out over the years by the teaching staff in their own time at the weekends or during holidays with no assistance whatsoever from the Department of Education and Science.
The construction studies room is a health and safety nightmare. I was in it myself recently and it is a tiny room that cannot accommodate the class, never mind the materials and equipment. There is no proper storage and it is seriously overcrowded and undoubtedly unsafe. The geography room is also unsafe. It is inaccessible to students with disabilities as there is no lift in the school and it is upstairs. There is no art room, music room or facilities for drama. In spite of that, the school stages an annual show with the latest taking place in a local football club during the past week.
Incredibly, in spite of the appalling conditions that everyone in the school endures, student numbers are rising, with an enrolment of almost 400 at present and a steadily rising trend in the past five years. That is a credit to the staff and the quality of teaching provided.
Umpteen meetings have been held between the board of management and officials in the Department, including two that took place in Tullamore to which people had to travel. Negotiations have been ongoing since 1999. In December 2002, planning permission was obtained for phase one, half of the work. The Department has now told the school to seek planning permission for the second half of that work. I am seeking an assurance from the Minister that this is not another delaying tactic. I ask the Minister not to trot out the usual statistics and tell us what he will do in the coming years, but to tell us what he intends to do for the students and staff in Beneavin De La Salle College in Finglas because they urgently need the modern conditions conducive to learning that they deserve to be put in place. The Minster of State's colleague, Deputy Noel Ahern, will testify that current conditions are completely inadequate and unfair.
