Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Jul 1985

Vol. 108 No. 15

Adjournment Matter. - County Galway School.

Mr. Killilea

We are now back to the problems of normal Irish living and we are talking about people who have not even money to invest in new schools for the locality. I want to thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. Although rather unusual, to me this is a very important problem. I want to thank the Minister for being present. I am sure it is not easy to drop everything and attend here. I know the Minister will give me the attention he always has given me in the past.

In the townland of Corrandulla we have a problem, a problem in a community where over the last couple of years the overcrowding in the girls school has created a situation where the local parish hall, which is not in great condition, has been used as a classroom. The community have put up with that for some time. I will suggest a compromise which may be the manner in which this problem can be overcome. First the situation concerning the classroom adaption of the Corrandulla school in Corrandulla hall will not be acceptable to the community. The view of the parents is that the children will not be allowed go to school at all. Secondly, there is an application without the consent of a great number of the parents for a prefab to be sent down to act as an addition to the present facilities. The children will not be allowed to go to the prefab either. It is the desire and wish of the community to have a new school built and I hope that the Minister will solve the problem. I want to show my appreciation and to congratulate the Minister on the way in which he acted in regard to Tuam technical school.

One solution to this problem would be that the monastery college which is in the vicinity of Corrandulla have part of their property for sale. Some time ago it was suggested that part of the college could be used as a school but it was condemned then on the basis of being a two-storey building. I do not know what criteria are necessary for the Office of Public Works but I do know what criteria are necessary for a happy community. It is recommended — by people in the Department of Education whom I do not want to name — that the purchase of this property by the Department would resolve the problem. It is up to the Office of Public Works to make the decision.

There may be a problem with the title of the property but I believe that the monastery proprietors, the Christian Brothers, have assured the community that, until the problem of the title is resolved, they can go on a lease basis provided, of course, a deposit for the purchase of the school could be made. That is a very reasonable and honourable thing to do and it facilitates the problem. I do not know what the OPW — that wonderful organisation who take care of all our national buildings — are going to say about this. The problem has to be resolved quickly. I do not want to cause any trouble or division of any description between anybody in the community concerning the education of their children.

A number of the parents in the area have an arrangement with the monastery whereby the community would lease the school for a year as an alternative to the proposed prefab. I am not sure how positive that is, and I am awaiting information on it. The trouble about having a motion on the Adjournment is that we cannot comment on the views of the Minister. The community will not be satisfied with a prefab and, if that is what happens, then I will come back here again and ask the Minister to do something about it. Alternative arrangements have been made about a classroom in the school which could be used for one or two years, and that should be acceptable to all. After all, if you can put children into a two-storey community hall full of draughts, you can be sure that a classroom which was used up to quite recently will meet their requirements. If the Office of Public Works fail to come up with a solution, then the only thing to do is to build a new school and the parents would be prepared to make a contribution towards that building.

There is another point which is not very relevant to the present situation but it must be taken into account, that is, the co-education situation in the parish of Corrandulla. The first priority is to get a school for the children and until that happens we cannot look at other priorities. I look forward to the Minister's response and thank him for coming in.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Creed)

I wish to give the House the history of Corrandulla national school and then I will deal in as detailed a way as possible with the Senator's queries. Corrandulla has two primary schools, one for girls and one for boys. They are about 100 yards from each other, being separated only by a cemetery and by a building owned by the Franciscan Brothers. The schools have developed to the point where new teaching posts were sanctioned in both of them in recent years and there are now four teachers in each. Enrolments in the schools are expected to increase gradually in the immediate future.

Corrandulla boys' school was built in 1947. It is a three classroom building and a general purpose room was added in 1978 which presumably is now used as a classroom to house the four teachers. There are 102 pupils on the roll and the site is too small to allow for any further extensions to the school. Corrandulla girls' school was built in 1930 and there are 103 pupils on the roll. There are only three classrooms in it. When the fourth teacher was appointed in 1983, temporary accommodation was arranged for the class on the stage of the parish hall. The question of amalgamating these schools has arisen for consideration from time to time but, for one reason or another, it has not proved possible to implement it. It became necessary recently to pursue the question again in the light of further developments and shortage of accommodation and especially in the light of the philosophy expressed in our Programme for Action in Education 1984-87. The education of children of both sexes together is more in keeping with the concept of equality between the sexes and the undertaking contained in the programme to facilitate the reorganisation of existing schools on such a basis. Initially my Department's proposals to amalgamate the two schools met with a certain resistance on the part of the boards of management and parents but, in April of this year, the chairman of the board informed us that all parties concerned were now by a large majority in favour of amalgamation. My Department are at present in correspondence with the board on some of the practicalities of the amalgamation proposals, but I am not aware of any reason why there should not be a single coeducational school housed in the two existing buildings in Corrandulla on 1 September 1985 on reopening after the summer holidays.

The building that Senator Killilea suggests is I presume the former novitiate belonging to the Franciscan Brothers. My Department have long been aware of this building and of its proximity to the schools. It was I understand erected as a novitiate around 1956 and ceased to be used as much around 1968. Some years ago the acquisition of this building by purchase or leasing for use as an amalgamated school was suggested. While no formal proposal to that effect was pressed with the boards of management, we had the building inspected by the Office of Public Works who are our technical advisers on architectural matters. They reported that it would not be suitable for educational purposes. There are four rooms in the building each measuring 800 sq. ft. Remedial repairs to a number of features would be needed as would major alterations and additions which would appear to render uneconomical the adaptation of the building for use as a school.

In recent times the emphasis has focussed on matters of immediate concern to the schools which would culminate in their combination into a single unit at the start of the coming school year. After that we shall have to address the long term development of primary school facilities in Currandulla. Ideally there should be a new building with modern furniture and equipment but the practicalities of the situation, such as the acquisition of a suitable site and the time necessary for the preparation of plans and contract documents, would not allow the immediate achievement of that objective. I have, however, taken note of Senator Killilea's views on the matter, but in the light of the reservations of the Office of Public Works which I have adverted to I would not be disposed to making any commitment towards the use of the novitiate for school purposes in the long term, assuming its availability, without a further assessment of the building by our architectural advisers subject to the present owner's agreement.

I have stated that the fourth class group in the girl's school has been housed temporarily in the parish hall since 1983. The board of management is no longer satisfied with this arrangement and has requested the provision of a prefabricated room during the summer holidays. I accept that the classroom that is housed in the stage of a hall is not suitable and I understand the objections from parents and all concerned. The prefabricated building has been sanctioned and arrangements to provide it are in hand. If, however, the board were to favour using in the short term a room or rooms in the monastery building, I would be prepared to have the implications of such a request examined as a matter of urgency.

I should like to deal briefly with the points raised in relation to a new school. A new school would be the ideal solution to what is a serious problem in Corrandulla; and, while I do not want to go into the details of the problem, I should like to state that the delays and the difficulties are not all created by my Department. If we are to go ahead with a new school it is a necessary and essential part of the procedures that the board of management would provide a site. If a suitable site is provided and is recommended to me as being suitable, I will certainly give it all the support possible to speed up the building of a new school. With all the goodwill in the world and with a site available tomorrow, there is an interim problem. What has not been proved to me and what has not been shown to me to be clear is the use of the building suggested by the Senator. I am not in a position to recommend the spending of large sums of money on a building to temporarily accommodate children, a building which perhaps next year we would not have any right to. I would be grateful if the Senator, the public representatives or the board of management, would communicate to me what the position is in relation to the building which they suggest is available. I would then have the matter examined in great detail. If it is what the board of management is looking for I cannot see why they object to prefabricated buildings, because after all it is only a temporary measure. If this is something to which they object I will consider the proposals, but I will have to be satisfied before approving large sums of money to be spent on a building when we are not too sure whether it would be available for one year, six months, two years or whether it would be available at all. We have no clear indication at this stage about what the position is in relation to the building.

Very rarely does my Department — and I agree totally — interfere with the day to day running of schools. This is a matter for the board of management and interference from the Department should only occur when it is deemed to be necessary. If the board of management put concrete proposals forward in relation to the acquisition, indicating whether the building is available and for how long it would be available, then I would be prepared to examine them, even though a prefabricated building was applied for, was agreed and was sanctioned. If there were strong objections I would have the matter examined and between us we could provide a workable solution to what I regard as an interim problem which would be in the interests of the children, the teachers and the board of management.

I am aware of the problem. It is a difficult one and the solution to it is not as easy as the Senator leads us to believe. There are problems in Corrandulla and I will give them my attention. If proposals are submitted in this regard I will have them examined. I am not an architect or an expert in this area, but I will take into account the advice which will be given to me by the people who are qualified to do this.

Mr. Killilea

Will the Minister give me an assurance that that will be done soon?

Mr. Creed

Yes, if the board of management make the necessary application I will have the matter examined as quickly as is possible.

The Seanad adjourned at 8.20 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 11 July 1985.