asked the Minister for Education whether the school carried on in a single room in Tullamore by Miss Costello and her sister has been certified by him as a suitable school for the purpose of the School Attendance Act, 1926, and, if so, will he state what qualifications do the teachers in this school hold for giving instruction in Irish; whether the instruction in Irish is such as is laid down in the Programme of the National Programme Conference which has been adopted by the Minister for use in all schools recognised by him; and on how many occasions during the past two years have Inspectors of his Department visited this school in order to satisfy the Minister that suitable instruction, including instruction in Irish, is being given in this school.
Written Answers. - A Tullamore School.
The Misses Costello conduct a school in Tullamore in which elementary and secondary education is given. In this school there are three rooms. These teachers are university graduates and registered secondary teachers. A part of the school has been conducted for the past 31 years as a secondary school and is recognised as such. For elementary education the school has been certified as a suitable school under Section 5 of the School Attendance Act, 1926. The elementary section of the school was visited once during the past two years by an inspector of my Department. The secondary section has been inspected under the same conditions as other secondary schools. I am satisfied that there is no adequate reason to refuse certification. The school—on its primary side—is not a State-aided school and the regulations in regard to the adoption of the programme of the National Programme Conference do not apply in the same way as in the case of national schools. In fact, instruction is given in Irish in both the elementary and the secondary sections of the school.