I thank the Minister for Education and Science for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer this question. It is an issue that arose at a meeting of Cavan-Leitrim Vocational Educational Committee of which I am honoured to be a member. The issue was raised by a colleague of mine who comes from Drumkeeran where the Lough Allen College is located and there has been a question raised about the provision of facilities and resources which forms part of my question to the Minister. I would be grateful for his reply.
Adjournment Matter. - School Accommodation.
I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House my Department's current position regarding this matter. The new PLC course in Business (Secretarial) at Lough Allen College was approved on 15 June 2001 by my Department's further education section. Further education section was in touch with the VEC's chief executive officer, yesterday 24 October concerning accommodation. I understand the course is now proceeding normally at Lough Allen College and that rented accommodation is not required. I also understand that major extension to the school has been approved and is at the physical planning stage. My Department is currently assessing what assistance it can offer Lough Allen College towards the cost of computers in the context of available resources and on-going commitments. In this regard, I would like to explain that there is an annual approved process whereby schools are required to obtain official sanction each year for PLC courses. As part of this process, schools are informed that PLC courses should not be considered unless a sufficient number of applicants, suitable special accommodation, equipment and appropriately qualified teachers are available.
All PLC courses are funded through the provision of enhanced teaching resources and the payment of capitation grants to the school authorities in the same way as other second level programmes. In the case of PLC courses, 1.25 teachers are allocated per group of 20, and an additional capitation grant of £146 per pupil is paid, over and above the normal grants for second level pupils, towards overheads and equipment costs. Where schools already running PLC courses experience particular difficulties in maintaining or replacing identified items of equipment, a case can be made to the further education section for extra assistance on a once-off basis. Such appeals are dealt with on their merits and can only be met out of any funds remaining after regular commitments have been honoured.
The extent of my Department's ongoing commitments in relation to available resources means that decisions on special funding appeals cannot be made before the year end. I have arranged for the needs of Lough Allen College for additional computer facilities to be examined in that context in December. Should new needs arise in the future regarding rented accommodation, my Department will also examine the matter sympathetically.
Lough Allen College was originally intended to accommodate 150 pupils. However two additional classrooms were added into the schedule of accommodation and the VEC also converted additional space into two further classroom areas. The college operates an outdoor education PLC course off campus 4 days per week, as well as the secretarial course, and I am assured that both are running satisfactorily in the existing accommodation.
The PLC programme was introduced in 1985 to provide appropriate vocational training for young people to bridge the gap between school and work. The programme is delivered by a network of over 230 schools and colleges throughout the country in the vocational, secondary and community and comprehensive school sector, but the bulk of provision is in vocational colleges. Currently there are over 1,400 courses to choose from in over 60 disciplines providing for some 26,300 students in the academic year 2001-02.
I thank the Minister and acknowledge his continuing understanding and sympathy for what is an extensive proposed capital rebuilding programme in County Leitrim with two proposed mergers and three VEC schools. Considering the budgetary constraints placed on him, I publicly acknowledge his understanding of our particular situation in Leitrim as evidenced by his reply in the context of a response if the need arises for sympathetic consideration of an appeal. I thank you, a Cathaoirligh, for allowing this matter on the Adjournment.
I thank the Minister for coming into the House to take this debate. Meelick national school is situated in south-east Clare about two miles from Limerick city. Currently there are about 180 students in the school. There are eight teachers, three assistants and a resource teacher. The school was built in 1959 but no major structural work has been carried out since then. A number of Portacabins have been added on to the school which are in an extremely bad condition.
The situation is chronic and I am surprised there has not been a major outcry in the area before now. The children are squashed into the classrooms with access and ease of movement almost completely restricted. The teachers find it difficult to move around the classroom. In a number of the rooms the windows are nailed down because of their condition. There is only one staff toilet in the school. Some doors are blocked in the portacabins because they are literally falling down – this is a very serious health and safety issue, particularly in relation to fire safety. The staff room doubles as a learning support room and some of the pupils are taught in the corridors. In one instance a child who needed an orthopaedic chair could not bring the chair in due to the congestion and inaccessibility in the school and was forced to sit at a wooden desk. It is most unsatisfactory.
The quality of the drinking water supply is also a problem and there is infestation with mice. The floors are rotting. Some of the pupils' toilets are used as storage areas and the schoolyard shelter is about to collapse. One of the portacabin roofs is falling down. There is one small cloakroom for 124 children in one section of the school and there are only three toilets for 93 boys. There is no car park.
The school was recently visited by a senior environmental health officer from the Mid-Western Health Board. I am sorry to report that he has written to the Department of Education and Science within the last few days about what he found in the school. His responsibilities include general structure and repair, provision of adequate sanitary facilities, provision of potable drinking water for both pupils and staff to comply with European Communities (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988, provision of adequate ventilation, absence of overcrowding and adequate pest control. He states that from perusal of an attached complaint report it is evident that accepted standards of compliance are not being met. Adequate sanitary facilities, a safe potable water supply and adequate ventilation should be provided. A proper pest control plan should be put in place to preclude or control rodent presence or infestation. Other concerns regarding health and fire safety are not within the remit of his office; however, he would strongly recommend that these issues be reviewed by the appropriate section of the Department of Education and Science inspectorate and that the fire safety issues be brought to the attention of the chief fire officer at Clare County Council by the Department. He is currently examining the quality of the water serving the school premises and will duly be sending a report to the inspectorate of the Department.
The Minister can see that this is unacceptable. It is urgently required that he arrange, and I am sure he will do so, to have some senior personnel from the planning and building unit of the Department to come to Meelick and visit the school. When the site has been inspected, consideration should be given to purchasing lands at the back of the school to enable the school to expand in a satisfactory manner and on a basis acceptable to both teachers and pupils. This will enhance the quality of education, the facilities in which the pupils spend their day and the environment in which the teachers provide their skills.
There is a crisis. This is unacceptable and deserves priority attention from the Department. I ask the Minister to provide that attention by immediately sending personnel from the Department to examine the entire building and site.
I am glad the Senator has given me the opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding the provision of improved accommodation at Meelick national school.
The school's present staff consists of a principal and five mainstream assistants plus one remedial teacher and one resource teacher, both based at the school. The current enrolment is 171 pupils. The school's present facilities consist of four permanent classrooms in the main school building, a general purpose room, which I understand is in use as a classroom, and two prefabs that were provided by the Department in 1987.
The Department has received an application for grant aid towards the cost of improvement works at the school. The Senator will appreciate that there has been a massive and unprecedented increase in the funds allocated by this Government to the schools building programme at all levels. Decisions relating to the rate of progress of these projects, including Meelick national school, will be taken in the light of the allocations to be made for school building purposes in the forthcoming Estimates.
The Senator mentioned the condition of the prefabs. In the interim it would be possible to obtain new prefabs if necessary. I can arrange an inspection although we may find that the building unit is aware of the condition of the site. The Department is fully committed to the provision of improved accommodation at Meelick national school and I thank the Senator again for giving me the opportunity to outline the position to the House. I will look into the suggestion of an inspection.
I thank the Minister and would appreciate if he could arrange for an inspector or someone from the building unit to come as a matter of urgency. The school accommodation is condemned in official reports from the Mid-Western Health Board.
The Seanad adjourned at 4 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 7 November 2001.