Tá áthas orm deis a bheith agam an tairiscint seo a chur i láthair Sheanad Éireann. Déanaim amhlaidh, le aird an Aire Oideachais a dhíriú ar an droch-bhail atá ar chúrsaí gairmoideachais i gCaisleán Riabhach le blianta fada. Is náire shaolta é an fhaillí, agus an éagóir atá déanta ar an nghairmscoil ansin agus iarraim ar an Aire féachaint chuige go leigheasfar an scéal chomh luath in Éirinn agus is féidir.
The matter I wish to raise concerns the deplorable and totally unacceptable situation regarding vocational education in Castlerea, County Roscommon, over many years. I shall now outline the underlying facts which clearly demonstrate the continued neglect of the needs of the area in this regard. Until the mid-thirties the vocational school was the first second level educational centre in the town. It was a four-classroom building and started with an enrolment of approximately 40 students. Meánscoil Iosaf a co-educational lay secondary school, was founded by Mary O'Flanagan in private accommodation in the early forties. The Sisters of Mercy started their full-scale secondary school some 20 years afterwards. With the advent of free education and the provision of school transport, accommodation difficulties in the vocational school reached crisis proportions.
It was on account of this that the VEC provided eight prefabs which were located close to the main school building. This, however, proved quite insufficient. Additional accommodation had to be rented at other locations in different parts of the town. As attendances continued to increase, it became patently obvious that the only solution to the problem was to build a new school. Various overtures to the Department of Education in this regard proved fruitless, and so this disgraceful situation was allowed to continue.
In 1979 the Roscommon VEC applied to the Department of Education for permission to build a new school. Three years elapsed before permission or approval was given early in 1982. By then the enrolments had increased enormously and the approved school was planned to cater for 275 students. It was purely coincidental that on 2 June, 1982 Meánscoil Iosaf, the co-educational secondary school in the town, applied to the VEC to amalgamate with the vocational school. This was nothing new. A similar amalgamation had been successfully effected in Elphin some years previously when the vocational school there amalgamated with the local Grammar school. At its July meeting of 1982 the VEC agreed to the request for amalgamation from Meánscoil Iosaf. The new combination became known as St. Joseph's Vocational College. Surprisingly, the Department were very slow to sanction this amalgamation. The school operated for almost two years on a de facto basis before approval was finally received.
As was expected, the amalgamation increased a need for more accommodation and, accordingly, the VEC sought approval for an increased schedule of accommodation in September 1982. The submissions made sought permission for a structure to accommodate 350 student places. There was no positive response to this submission for quite some time. Meanwhile, St. Joseph's Vocational College was compelled to operate in four different locations throughout the town. For administrative purposes, these centres are designed as units 1, 2, 3 and 4. The late Paddy Crosby will be affectionately remembered for his wonderful radio programme "The School around the Corner," but I am quite sure that the Castlerea Vocational School will be remembered — not fondly perhaps — as the school around many corners.
Unit No. 1 comprises the main school building, the original vocational school and its cluster of eight prefabs. Unit No 2 is accommodated in Hanly Hall, formerly a primary school which was condemned as such and replaced more than 20 years ago. Is it not strange that a building considered unfit for use as a primary school then is deemed good enough to house the secretarial and commercial sector of vocational education in 1984? It is scarcely compatible with our claims to have kept in line with technological and scientific developments in education in recent years. Unit No. 3 consists of two rooms which are extensions to the rear of a private dwelling and also two prefabs. There is no toilet facility here and hence there is no need for the oft repeated joke: "An bhfuil cead agam dul amach?"
The accommodation is rented from the owner, Mary O'Flanagan, by the VEC. To date, however, no rent has been paid to the owner for the reason that the Department of Education have failed to sanction the contractual arrangements. I request the Minister to ensure that this injustice is remedied without delay.
I now come to Unit No. 4. Of all the units this is the least conducive to educational pursuits. The centre is a disused ballroom initially built for that purpose more than 40 years ago. It might well have been the "ballroom of romance" as it was very popular and well-patronised in its early years. It is now the woodwork room of St. Joseph's Vocational College although situated at least half a mile away from the main building, the administration centre. Teachers and students often joke about the incompatibility of their environment, but one cannot be facetious about such matters. The conditions under which this school is being administered must seriously affect the physical, educational and psychological welfare of the students. For that reason the parents, members of the board of management and the public generally throughout the area are gravely concerned about this unfortunate position. How could it be otherwise? The foregoing chronicled facts clearly show that the very adverse conditions governing the administration of vocational education in Castlerea are discriminatory if not, indeed, unconstitutional.
Article 40 of Bunreacht na hÉireann clearly affirms: "All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law". One must ask where is the equality in the educational opportunities offered to students of St. Joseph's Vocational College. How can they be expected to achieve the same educational attainments as their more fortunate counterparts who are privileged to be educated in a properly-equipped school environment where all the educational facilities are readily available. Surely their chances of qualifying for grants and scholarships at examination time cannot be fulfilled.
Such discrimination is very far removed from Pádraig Pearse's ideals and aspirations of cherishing all the children of the nation equally. I have already mentioned the dangers to physical well-being of students which might result from movement to and from classes in the various centres. In bad weather they often get very wet going to and coming from classes. This surely must be a health hazard. There is also obviously the ever-present danger of accidents. In one case, the students must cross a very busy street to get to the outside centre. Thank God, as yet, there has been no accident. One wonders what the position is in regard to insurance.
Despite all these serious disadvantages there is no real movement in the schedule of progress of the new school. In April 1984 approval was given for the purchase of a site approved by the Department's architect for a new school. The offer made by the VEC was accepted by the vendors and the deed of sale is being legally processed. Disappointed with the lack of progress the VEC sought a meeting with the Minister for Education. The Minister met a full delegation on 6 June 1984. A decision in regard to the matter was promised by the Minister inside three weeks. Subsequently the Minister advised the VEC to have consultations with the IVEA. These consultations took place on 2 October 1984 but again no progress was reported. On 3 October 1984 the chairman of the VEC and the CEO, Mr. Kevin McBride, had a meeting with the members of the Planning Section in the Department of Education. Mr. O'Carroll from the planning section stated that the Department's view then was that there should be one school in Castlerea. He emphasised, however, that he was not promoting any particular school or type of school but that the Sisters of Mercy favoured a community school. The VEC maintain that they already agreed that St. Joseph's College extension should be proceeded with and that the proposed new school be built on the approved site. This site is in an ideal location in the old demesne and is centrally situated convenient to the GAA sports complex and the town swimming pool. I urge the Minister not to abandon this decision.
I have agreed with Senator Mullooly who is a member of the committee to join with me in supporting this motion. How many minutes do I have now?
