This relates to Athphort national school, oileán Árainn Mhór, Dún na nGall, i gcroí-lár na Gaeltachta. The school board of management was notified earlier this year that the two teacher school was to lose one teacher. The school was shocked at this news and I am raising the issue on behalf of the school and the greater island community.
The school currently has an enrolment of 11 pupils in eight different classes. It is unacceptable that the school would be reduced to a single teacher. It is an island school and the understanding is that the minimum number of pupils required for two teachers is eight. In this instance, because there is a second primary school on the island, it does not count, a policy the Department should re-examine.
Athphort national school is an island school located in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht. As such, key issues such as health and safety make the reduction to a single teacher inappropriate. This is a gaelscoil and the work that has been done by the staff and parents at the school is to be commended. It would be a retrograde step to cut numbers so that one teacher is dealing with eight classes when it is already difficult to provide the necessary educational opportunities through the medium of Irish. Families have moved home to Árainn Mhór and the children of those families have learned Irish at this school.
A family on the island hopes to send their child in the coming years to the school and that pupil will have special educational needs. Such factors should be taken into consideration.
It is a three classroom school with toilets, kitchen and ancillary facilities. The school management authority has made a huge effort to develop the school, which was originally built in 1915. Teaching is through the medium of Irish and all pupils are eligible for scéim labhairt na Gaeilge payments from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Any downgrading of the teaching complement of the school would have a negative impact on the development of the Irish language not only in the school but in the Athphort area and the island as a whole.
The Minister cannot make a decision tonight but the school authorities have lodged an appeal with the independent appeals board. Given this is a unique situation involving an island school where the Department proposes to reduce teacher numbers from two to one, with all the implications that will have for the pupils, the Department will hopefully review its policy position on islands with more than one school. There are two schools on the island because of the size of the population, which should be taken into account.
I am not looking for a decision tonight but I do want the support of the Minister and I am glad to see Senator Boyle is also interested in this issue and I welcome his support.