I would like to thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing this very important local issue to be aired here tonight. First of all, I would like to outline the diary of events to date in the effort to provide a new vocational school for Castleisland.
In 1972 due to the local need the Kerry VEC decided that a new vocational school was needed in the area. They went ahead and sought out a site in Castleisland for this purpose. In September 1974 a site near the present community centre was purchased for the proposed new school. By June 1976 the transfer of the site was completed. By January 1977 details of the number and type of rooms required was forwarded to the Department by the VEC. In February 1978 there was a meeting of the CEO and staff in Castleisland. The CEO at the time, Mr. McDwyer, promised that the school would be available for September, 1980. As yet it has not become available.
In August 1978 the Department of Education forwarded their list of rooms to the principal and to the CEO. In October of the same year the teachers sent back their comments on the Department's list of rooms that was forwarded to them and they reluctantly accepted the recommendations by the Department. Again they stressed that there was a need for more practical rooms as opposed to the number of academic rooms that were proposed at the time. In May 1979 there was a special meeting at the Department of Education offices in Dublin and full agreement was reached here on the size of the school and the type and number of rooms. Mr. Heneghan, who was an architect at the Department of Education at the time, promised that capital was to be provided at the end of 1980 and that a contractor would be on the site at the end of 1980 or the beginning of 1981. Present at that meeting were Mr. McDwyer and Mr. Tarrant, who is principal of the school, and Mr. Kennedy of Kerry VEC. The time-scale of planning and building was discussed and agreed on in detail. In August 1979 a sketch of the plan was forwarded to the Department. In March 1980 there was an about-turn by the Department of Education. They sent back a new list of rooms reducing the size of the school. Their argument was that due to the fact that the growth in second level education was over there was no point in building a school of the magnitude proposed.
At the end of March 1980 a revised schedule of accommodation was examined by the CEO and senior staff in the school and referred back to the Department accepting the new reduced school size but requesting an increased number of specialist rooms to include more practical rooms and a language room as well, which I think has more relevance now as a result of the recent EC Summit here in Dublin.
In July 1980 the Department replied. They would not accept any change in their list of accommodation. Several letters from the CEO and the County Kerry VEC were sent to the Department requesting the Department to accept the local list of accommodation as it was the least they could accept. Otherwise, they would be accepting a school with a large number of general classrooms and a small number of practical subject rooms.
In October 1982, a developed sketch plan of the new school had been approved. By July 1983 final plans were forwarded to the Department of Education. In May 1984, the plans were revised by the Department and this included a change in the boiler-house from automatic to manual. A bill of quantities was started and completed by mid-October 1984. On November 5 1984 the bill of quantities was sent and received in the Department of Education for consideration.
I would like to go into the history of Castleisland vocational school and its contribution to the community over the years. Castleisland vocational school was built in 1935. The year 1985 will be its jubilee year and indeed it would be a fine gesture if they could get a new school in that year. The catchment area extends over a wide area. In most places, it is densely populated, in areas northwards towards Knocknagashel it is sparsely populated. It extends westwards from Faranfore and Ballymacelligott, overlapping with the Tralee catchment area where it is competing for students and because of the lack of facilities is losing students as a result. It extends northwards to Abbeyfeale, County Limerick. It is competing with the very well-facilitated vocational school in Abbeyfeale. It extends southwards to Scartaglen and here it is overlapping with both the Rathmore and Killarney catchment areas. It extends eastwards to the Cork boundary, to Deputy Creed's own constituency, overlapping with Boherbue comprehensive catchment area.
There are pupils crossing over from the Castleisland catchment area into these areas and travelling to school sometimes at the expense of their families because of the lack of proper facilities in Castleisland. The average enrolment of pupils in Castleisland vocational school over the past ten years has been 286.5 students. The current enrolment for 1984-85 school year has been 291. Recent surveys carried out in the area on the school-going population show a slight increase in the number of students. There has been a slight increase in population. At the present time, there are four permanent classrooms. These were erected in 1935. There are two semi-permanent classrooms which are flat-roofed and covered with felt. These were erected in 1958. There are, 11 per-fabs erected from 1967 to 1979. These, no doubt, were erected in response to the growing need for education at the time as a result of free transport and free education which were introduced at the end of the sixties.
The rooms are widely scattered and are totally unsuitable for modern large classes. Timetabling of schools curricula and groups is very difficult as a result of the placement of the pre-fabs. The pre-fabs are in very poor condition. They are costing the VEC large amounts of money to maintain. The structure of the pre-fabs is disintegrating and they will have to be repaired very soon or replaced — hopefully — by a new school. The heating cost has soared over the past ten years. The fact that the pre-fabs are poorly insulated renders them almost impossible to heat adequately. No doubt this endangers the health of both, students and teachers alike and is not very conducive to learning. A wide-ranging curriculum is available in the school, both practical and academic, and also social and religious developments are catered for despite inadequate facilities. A vocational preparation and training programme and a senior secretarial course are made available to the students. No doubt the curriculum would be greatly expanded and improved if the new school and its resources were made available. This would be of immense benefit to both the pupils and the community alike.
The school provides the only metalwork and woodwork facilities for students in the catchment area. The other two schools in the area do not provide these facilities. These subjects are continued to leaving certificate as Engineering and Building Construction respectively. The present classroom accommodation and teaching facilities are totally inadequate to meet the demands of students and the community alike in these subject areas. Both subjects are being taught in pre-fabs, and although the students have been very successful in intermediate and leaving certificate examinations in these subjects nevertheless they are at a considerable disadvantage when they compete with students who have experienced better schools and better facilities for places on apprenticeship schemes and for entry into third level colleges.
The school at the moment has no science laboratory; science is being taught in two pre-fabs where there is very little equipment. No individual experiment units are available, and only a few very dangerous sockets. This environment, I feel is totally unsuitable for the learning and teaching processes alike. Again, it is very unfair for the pupils and no doubt affects their future prospects if they wish to seek a career in the areas where science subjects are essential.
In the subject areas of home economics and secretarial studies the present accommodation is obsolete. The home economics room having been designed in 1935 has no modern cookers or other cooking facilities. It is half the size of the proposed room in the new school. Let me add that it is part of the policy and the philosophy of the school to encourage as many of the male population as possible in the school to study home economics. It is part of their co-educational process in the school. Secretarial studies are carried out in a pre-fab also. The availability of typewriters and space is no doubt a limiting factor. I would like to point out that the school offers the only full secretarial course in the area. To satisfy this need a proper secretarial room is required.
Computer studies are being offered to the pupils from first year. This no doubt is due to the very good principal in the school and his initiative. Again, this is not being offered at the other post-primary schools in the area. The school also provides an extensive adult education programme, the only school in the district that provides adult education. I am sure the Minister realises the importance of this. Courses in metalwork, woodwork and home economics are available to adults. However, the scope of participation is restricted due to the lack of facilities, and let me add, the lack of car parking facilities in front of the school.
As the school is the centre of an agricultural region the staff have made efforts to introduce practical work in both horticulture and agriculture. However, they find this impossible and have been hampered by the lack of land. In fact, the land that was originally with the school is now covered with pre-fabs. They have no space to grow horticultural produce or to carry out any type of practical work in those two very important areas.
In the proposed new school adequate space will be available for this type of field work. Emphasis is placed on this type of work in the school. There has been a lot of interest shown by the pupils in both agricultural and horticultural field studies. The present art room is converted from the old woodwork room built in 1935. There is no library in the school. Geography is taught in a pre-fab, with very little space for wall charts, maps and other visual aids. Having been a former geography teacher myself I realise how difficult this must be for both the teachers and pupils.
There are no social areas available where pupils can sit and talk during break times and generally take recreation. There are no PE facilities in the present school. In fact, the pupils have to travel long distances to the local playing pitches and to the community centre for games and PE. Again, I may add that the new school will be built next to the existing community centre in Castleisland. No doubt this will enhance the pupils' health and it should lead to more use of the community centre in Castleisland.
Because of the inadequate facilities available both the students and the community have suffered much over the years. To be properly prepared for our modern technological era the pupils must have the required facilities, otherwise they will be at a considerable disadvantage when they go out and compete with pupils from more facilitated schools. The adult population deserve the chance to continue their education and to acquire skills they were unable to acquire — or were deprived of — during their school years. This is a very important consideration.
The new school will provide up-to-date science facilities, including a proper science laboratory, secretarial facilities which will involve the use of computers and word processors, a modern history and geography room, an art room, a multi-purpose room which can be used for PE and drama and other school activities; a library which will be of tremendous benefit to both the pupils and teachers for reference purposes and also to adults in the area; a new home economics room which would further facilitate the school's philosophy towards encouraging co-education in this area; and new woodwork and metalwork rooms which would help to prepare, the pupils more adequately for their future and help them in their preparation for future employment by enhancing their prospects in the job area. The site of the new school — as I said before — is close to Castleisland community centre.
