Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Dec 2003

Vol. 576 No. 6

Schools Refurbishment.

Mr. Crowe:

It is almost exactly two months since Deputy McGinley and I found ourselves in this situation regarding another school in Donegal. Last October parents from Loch an Iúir national school withdrew their children from classes in protest at the unsafe conditions in which their children were forced to attend school.

Today the parents of 119 pupils at Gortahork national school have found themselves in the same situation. They have been forced into this action because of the extreme situation they find themselves in. The local Sinn Féin representative for the area, Mr. Pearse Doherty, brought the matter to my attention early last week. There are differences, of course. In Loch an Iúir, the health problem was dangerously high radon gas levels, while in Gortahork raw sewage and rats are the problems. A meeting of the parents took place on Monday night and they reluctantly decided to take this action as a way of highlighting the unacceptable conditions in the school.

Children from the ages of four and five upwards are expected to use a playground that overflows with raw, untreated sewage at high tide. The sewage has resulted in high levels of e.coli being detected in the playground and because of the position and layout of the playground, the sewage does not flow back, but remains in the playground, preventing access to the playground for children.

With sewage comes rats, a number of which have been detected within the school grounds. Parents are legally obliged to send their children to school and so parents, by law, must send their children to a rat-infested, sewage-swamped environment. Despite the best efforts of teachers and management, there is nothing they can do without resources and so parents have been forced to take direct action. I applaud them for their courage and their determination in standing up for their children and their rights. It is a move born of frustration with the Government's policy on school building, a frustration shared by parents across the State.

When I raised the plight of Gortahork national school with the Minister for Education and Science last year he stated that health and safety issues at the school are a matter for the management authorities of the school. The escalation in the seriousness of the problem, as demonstrated by the decision of the parents to withdraw their children, underlines the fact that the management authorities do not have the ability or resources to deal with these issues.

The Government cannot be allowed to wash its hands of schools like Gortahork national school, abandoning it to its own devices. In his response to a question I put to him the Minister stated: "It is not a matter for my Department to provide funding from the annual allocation for primary buildings for works external to the site of a primary school." Does the Department of Education and Science seriously consider a school's playground to be external to the site of the school?

Aside from these chronic health and safety issues, the school building itself dates back to 1927 and suffers from severe structural problems, lacking any kind of canteen facilities. Initially built for 30 pupils, it now has over four times that number and the principal's office comprises a telephone on a window ledge.

At what point does the Government stop abdicating its responsibility to the pupils and teachers of the school? When is the Government going to deliver a safe, comfortable environment for students to learn in and teachers to teach in? Will the Minister in his response explain why a rat-infested, structurally inadequate school with a severe sewage problem is not a priority for repair? I cannot understand that system. There is no point in using the money provided by the Department to kill rats when the sewage problem will attract them anyway.

The situation is not eased by the fact that the Gortahork sewerage scheme was not included for upgrading in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's water services investment programme last year and I join my colleagues in the constituency in calling on the Government to prioritise investment there to deal with the serious effluent problem in coastal waters.

Mr. McGinley:

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire as ucht na deise a thabhairt dom an cás fíor-speisialta seo a thógáil ar an Athló sa Dáil tráthnóna inniu.

This is not the first Adjournment debate on the critical situation in Gortahork national school. The last Adjournment debate was in February 2002, almost two years ago and on that occasion the Minister informed me that conditions in Gortahork were, in his opinion, far less than satisfactory and that the board of management was asked to engage an architect to conduct a feasibility study as to the best solution for the school.

Two years have now elapsed and nothing has happened, which has left everyone utterly frustrated, provoking the parents into taking the unprecedented step of withdrawing their children from the school this afternoon. That decision was not easily made.

The original school was built in 1929 for 30 pupils, as Deputy Crowe said. Today there are 119 pupils and five teachers in the school. One could say the school is located between the devil and the deep blue sea. At the front is the busy N56, with which the Minister is probably familiar. It is a very dangerous road and is a continuous hazard to pupils entering and leaving the school. However, the most serious hazard is at the rear of the school – the Gortahork Estuary. During spring tides the schoolyard and play area are flooded and there is a high level of e.coli contamination in the water. The presence of e.coli in those waters has been independently verified by Aqualab, an independent monitoring company, and it is disturbingly in excess of EU safety levels. After every flood tide the yard and playground must be disinfected. Anyone can recognise that this poses a definite health hazard for both pupils and teachers. Some of the classrooms are infested by rats which could possibly be carriers of e.coli.

The school is on the INTO's list of substandard buildings and the only long-term solution to the problem is a new school. The present facilities are completely inadequate to meet the needs and requirements of effectively teaching the modern curriculum. A site is available in the area through the good offices of Údarás na Gaeltachta, but everyone is frustrated at the delaying tactics of the Department. What we need in Gortahork is an immediate decision to provide a new school on the available site so that the best education possible is provided to the pupils who are attending the school. Tá súil agam go dtuigeann an tAire gur scoil Gaeltachta í scoil Gort a' Chorice sa cheantar Gaeltachta is treise i dTír Conaill. Tá sé scanallach go raibh ar na tuismitheoirí inniu a chuid daltaí a tharraingt amach ón scoil. Ní dhéanann tuismitheoirí cinneadh den chineál sin muna bhfuil brú uafásach orthu agus sin a tharla i nGort a' Choirce.

Níl an scoil oiriúnach do riachtanais oideachais an lae inniu agus sé an t-aon freagra ar an cheist seo ná scoil úr do Ghort a' Choirce. Tógadh an scoil atá ann anois do 30 dalta agus tá 130 ann i láthair na huaire. Tá siad ag brath ar seomraí réimhdhéanta agus níl sin inghlactha. Nuair a bhí seo sa Dáil agam dha bhliain ó shin ar an Athló, bhí dóchas againn go raibh rud éigin cinnte, dearfa le tarlú ach níor tharla sé.

Is trua nach bhfuil an tAire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta féin anseo ach tá Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta anseo agus tá eolas aige ar an cheantar agus suim aige an fhadhb a réitiú. Iarraim air mo thuairimí agus tuairimí an Teachta Crowe a chur in iúl don Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta agus tá súil agam go mbeidh na páistí ar ais sa scoil chomh luath agus is féidir.

Sula rachaidh siad ar ais go dtí an scoil, an undertaking must be given that alternative accommodation will be provided for the children until the new school is built. There is alternative accommodation in the area. Such accommodation was provided for Loughanure national school a few weeks ago. The situation is as critical at Gortahork national school. Iarraim ar an Aire a dhícheall a dhéanamh an cheist seo réiteach.

Éamon Ó Cuív:

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí as ucht na ceiste seo a ardú tráthnóna agus ba mhaith liom an dheis seo a ghlacadh le leagan amach go díreach mar a sheasann cúrsaí maidir le scoil Gort a' Choirce.

Is scoil chomhoideachas í scoil Ghort a' Choirce. Ta an méid gasúr atá ar an rolla réasúnta seasamhach le cúpla bliain anuas. Tuigtear dom go bhfuil 119 gasúr ag freastal ar an scoil sa mbliain reatha. Faoi láthair tá príomhoide agus ceithre gnáthoide sa scoil móide múinteoir tacaíochta.

Chuir cathaoirleach an bhord bhainistíochta in iúl do rannóg pleanála an Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta ar maidin go raibh na daltaí a bhí ag freastal ar an scoil tarraingte siar ón scoil ó inniu agus go leanfadh sé mar sin. Tá seo a dhéanamh mar agóid in aghaidh coinníollacha sa scoil. Dheimhnigh an cathaoirleach freisin go raibh na múinteoirí i láthair sa scoil.

Tá díoma ar an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta faoin gcinneadh seo atá déanta a gcearta oideachais a shéanadh ar na gasúir ar an mbealach seo. Tuigtear dom gurb í an fhadhb atá sa scoil ná go bhfuil an scoil gar do láthair dabhach séarachais poiblí. Tuigtear dom freisin go chonacthas francach taobh amuigh de theorainn na scoile. Ghlac an bord bainistíochta gníomh láithreach i dtaobh na ceiste sin agus gur leigheasadh é.

An bunfhadhb atá ann ná an áit a bhfuil an dabhach séarachais poiblí bunaithe. Tuigtear dom nach bhfuil aon réiteach éascaí i ndán don fhadhb seo.

Cuireann sé iontas orm nár fhan an Teachta Crowe don bhfreagra. Ní hé sin an chéad uair a tharla sin. Tá córas cluasáin ar fáil do Theachtaí nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge acu agus tá an córas aistriúcháin céanna anseo leis an cheann asa mbaintear úsáid i bPairlimint na hEorpa agus duine ag labhairt as Fraincís nó Gearmánais nó teanga ar bith eile nach dtuigeann duine eile.

Tá iarrtha ag an Roinn ar bhainistíocht na scoile an cheist seo thógáil leis an údarás áitiúil ach caithfidh chuile duine a thuiscint nach bhfuil aon réiteach scioptha ar an bhfadhb seo. Caithfimid pleanáil sa bhfad-téarma.

Maidir leis an bhfad-téarma, rinneadh cigireacht teicniúil ar an scoil le gairid agus tá an tuairisc á scrúdú ag an Roinn faoi láthair. Cuimsíonn an tuairisc seo láthair na scoile agus beidh tionchar aige sin ar an gcinneadh a thógfar sa bhfad-téarma. Leanfaidh an Roinn leis ag déanamh plé leis an bhord bainistíochta ó thaobh na ceiste seo.

Is léir go bhfuil an fhadhb tarraingte ag an dabhach séarachais poiblí atá in aice leis an scoil agus nach féidir seo a réiteach go héascaí. Tá an Roinn sásta idirghabháil a dhéanamh le patrún na scoile agus an bord bainistíochta le socrú fad-téarmach a fháil maidir le sealúchas feiliúnach don scoil. Idir an dá linn, sé dearcadh láidir an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta gur cheart do na gasúir dhul ar ais chuig an scoil agus nach bhfuil aon leas a dhéanamh do na gasúir iad a choinneáil amach ón scoil níos faide.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m on Thursday, 11 December 2003.