Deputy Pádraic McCormack has been given permission to raise the urgent matter of Gaelscoil Dara, Renmore, Galway, and whether the Minister for Education will provide a premises for the school to operate in the coming year.
Adjournment Debate. - Galway Gaelscoil.
Is mian liom tagairt a dhéanamh do Ghaelscoil Dara i Renmore, Contae na Gaillimhe agus cad tá i ndán di. Bunaíodh an bunscoil lánGhaelach seo in 1984 le 17 páisdí agus múinteoir amháin. Beidh 245 pháisdí agus naoi múinteoir inti i Meán Fómhair na bliana seo, 1992. Tá siad i bhfoirgneamh sealadach ó thús agus iad ag íoc cíos trom air, £1,105 in aghaidh na míosa faoi láthair. Tá fógra faighte ó na Brothers of Charity go gcaithfear an áit a fhágáil roimh 20 Meitheamh 1992. Cé go raibh go leor cainteanna agus cruinnithe le roinnt blianta anuas leis an Teachta Frank Fahey nuair a bhí sé in a Aire Stáit, chun foirgneamh buan a fháil don scoil, níl aon dul chun cinn déanta ar chor ar bith.
The parents, who are very much involved in this school, have collected £46,140.90 from the time of the opening of the school in 1984, £18,300 of which has been paid in rent and will never be recouped from the Department of Education. The Department have paid £34,141 as their percentage of the rent. As I have said, the school board have been notified by the Brothers that they have to vacate the present premises on 20 June this year.
We understand from the former Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Frank Fahey, that the Department's first choice is to locate the school in the nearby Holy Family school —sin scéal eile. The Holy Family school is not vacant at present; it is being used as a school for mentally handicapped children. An earlier suggestion was that Gaelscoil Dara could move to an under utilised school, St. Brendan's. This school is situated near a dangerous roundabout and we have since discovered that it is not available.
Gaelscoil Dara has been built up from a very humble start in 1984 to the present numbers. I can vouch that it is first class. Two of my own children had the privilege of attending that school and I take this opportunity to compliment the eight teachers and the board of management for the excellent educational service they are providing as Gaeilge. The teachers involve themselves in after school and community activities and take part in drama and traditional dancing.
The board of management would accept vacant rooms in the Holy Family school, which we think may be on lease to the Department of Education. However, we want the Department of Education to give an undertaking to pay the rent for this school. Parents cannot be expected to continue to raise £1,500 per month, apart from other running costs. The parents already pay £20 per child and participate in other fund-raising activities. This is a far higher contribution than applies to any other school in Galway. The school are only looking for a permanent premises to continue with the excellent work by the Gaelscoil in Renmore, County Galway.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity of outlining the situation in relation to Gaelscoil Dara. He has given a lot of detail in relation to the school, its history and its problems. However, it would be no harm for me to deal with this situation from my Department's point of view.
The school was established in 1984 when it got provisional recognition from my Department and it has gone from strength to strength since then. I would like to take this opportunity of congratulating the school authorities and everybody associated with the school, both now and over the years, on its ongoing success. At present, the school has an enrolment of 217 pupils and a staff comprising a principal plus seven assistants. It is accommodated in premises which are leased from the Brothers of Charity and the rent is grant-aided by my Department. I accept that the school's ongoing contribution towards the rent has put strains on their resources. I am also fully aware from representations to my Department and from my own direct knowledge that the owners of the property have put Gaelscoil Dara on notice that they must vacate the premises and let me say that I accept completely the position of the owners in this regard. This, of course, makes the provision of suitable alternative accommodation for the school an urgent matter.
As the Deputy is aware, a number of options in this regard have been under consideration in my Department. First, however, it would be useful to outline current official thinking on the provision of permanent accommodation for national schools in major urban areas. As everybody concerned will appreciate, there has been a decline in the birth rate for some years past. For this reason, the question of the provision for new school buildings has to be considered carefully especially when there is a possibility of other school buildings becoming available or the numbers of pupils reducing significantly. Therefore, it is often very difficult to justify the provision of new school buildings in the case where the birth rate has been falling with obvious implications for school accommodation and having due regard to budgetary constraints. It is fair to acknowledge that most school authorities accept this situation.
The Deputy will appreciate that discussions with other school authorities in Galway about the possibility of their accommodation being made available to Gaelscoil Dara must be carried out in a sensitive, reasonable and practical manner. In these circumstances, negotiations must of necessity be protracted and have appropriate regard to the rights of the other schools involved. Balanced against this, of course, is the right of Gaelscoil Dara to have reasonable and early expectations for suitable permanent premises. These matters have been under consideration for some time and I accept there have been delays in bringing them to a successful conclusion. I wish to assure all concerned of my intention and that of my Department to take every step possible to resolve the difficulties as a matter of urgency. I wish to repeat my Department's fullest support for the school and all it has achieved in difficult circumstances. In view of the Deputy's interest I will keep him advised of development as they arise. Of course, I will be in contact directly with the school as well.
Níl ach dhá mhí fágtha anois.