asked the Minister for Education if he will make a statement regarding future policy on community schools.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Community Schools.
66.
I desire to draw the Deputy's attention to my references to community schools in my introductory statement to the Estimates for my Department for 1973-74— Volume 268, No. 3, columns 390-391 and in my reply to the debate in Volume 268, No. 8, column 1579.
I do not consider it appropriate to expand on those statements in the context of a reply to a Parliamentary Question.
Are the Parliamentary Secretary and the Minister aware that there is a considerable amount of confusion on the part of the managers and the staff of community schools as to what the exact policy of the Department is in relation to their future and if the Department of Education are fully committed to the idea of community schools?
I think I could do no better, in endeavouring to clarify that point, than to quote from the Minister's statement at columns 1578 and 1579 of the Official Report for 8th November, 1973. Can I take it that I have your permission to do so?
Is it a lengthy quotation?
It is two paragraphs.
It ought more properly be included in the Official Report.
I shall be happy to have these two paragraphs included in the Official Report. They are:
In new city areas, it would not, I think, make sense to perpetuate past and present divisions in this second level sector and new schools in these areas must be comprehensive in character, that is, they must provide comprehensive facilities and must be in a position to cater for all the children of the area and willing to do so. The form of management in each such school is a matter for discussion with all the interests involved.
It is not my intention nor, indeed, would it be a practical proposition to provide community schools in every area of the country but the structure of management and administration which has been devised for community schools does offer a means of overcoming many of the obstacles which were hitherto cited as insurmountable when rationalisation issues were being discussed. It should also be remembered that the degree of State financing involved in community schools is very great, that the cost of providing schools has risen enormously and that traditional sources of secondary school provision may no longer be adequate to the task involved.