Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Jul 1996

Vol. 467 No. 7

Adjournment Debate. - Dungarvan (Waterford) School.

Mr. Deasy

We politicians deal with constituency problems daily but now and again one comes across an appalling case of injustice. I refer this evening to one involving St. Mary's national school, formerly the Presentation Convent school in Dungarvan with 450 pupils.

I have requested repeatedly, by way of parliamentary question and otherwise, that that school be classified as disadvantaged so that its staff and pupils receive every assistance possible but, so far, unsuccessfully. On Friday week, 21 June, the longest day of the year, I received a deputation, including the school principal, Sr. Mary, along with a number of her staff. The story they related was absolutely appalling, stranger than fact; I could not believe what they have to endure.

There has been a breakdown in our society, particularly within the past five to ten years which has not been adequately addressed. Teachers are merely engaging in a task of containment rather than teaching which is probably typical of what is taking place in many other urban areas.

My heart went out to that delegation when I realised what they have had to ensure. They have a terrible job. I want to see action. I have a list of the statistics required when they sought disadvantaged status. For example, the number of pupils living in lone parent households is 79; the number of pupils whose fathers or mothers did not even reach group or leaving certificate standard is approximately 155; the number of pupils whose parents are not interested in education is 122; the number of pupils coming from families where there is drug and alcohol abuse and violence is 83, the number of pupils whose parents lack parental skills is 105; the number of pupils whose parents have reading and writing problems is 96; the number of pupils with behavioural problems that interfere with other pupils' learning opportunities is 91; the number of pupils undernourished and neglected is 61; the number of pupils who are the subject of poor hygiene, inadequate sleep and a junk food diet is 118; number of pupils recommended for a school for handicapped children but who would not attend such a school is 27; the number of pupils socially or sexually abused is 102. It portrays an absolutely appalling scenario. It is amazing that school, its teachers and pupils cannot obtain disadvantaged status.

I am aware that a deputation from that school attended the Department of Education on Thursday last and got a receitive response from the departmental officials they met. I am demanding that this school be given disadvantaged status. There is a tendency nowadays for affluent parents to take their children out of schools like this one. While not decrying the laudable success of the Gael scoileanna, they have become elitist, children of middle class parents being sent there. The same is true of schools on fringes of towns in urban areas, with a couple of good teachers and a small number of pupils where middle class parents prefer to enrol their children. This leaves the children of working class, unemployed parents and of lone parents, grossly socially deprived, as is evident from the statistics I have just given.

It is an appalling scenario not understood by the general public. Perhaps politicians do not understand it either. I thought I had heard and seen everything where deprivation was concerned, but this case begs comparison. I appeal to the Minister to ensure these pupils and teachers are afforded every possible assistance by affording them disadvantaged status.

Mr. Allen

I am aware the school in question applied for disadvantaged area status. I listened carefully to what Deputy Deasy said, having portrayed this case in a very graphic, disturbing manner.

The disadvantaged areas scheme was last expanded in 1994 when an additional 54 primary schools were newly included in the scheme.

The case put forward by the school in question was considered at that time. Unfortunately, when regard was had to the relative positions of competing schools, the needs of that school were not considered to be of such priority as to warrant their inclusion on that occasion.

Traditionally, schools have been selected for inclusion in the disadvantaged areas scheme on the basis of priority of need as reflected by a range of socio-economic indicators. The indicators in question were developed by a working group comprised of representatives of the Department of Education, schools management and the INTO and have been in operation for some years.

Factors taken into account included the incidence of unemployment; local authority housing occupancy and medical card holding among the parents of the children concerned. Account was also taken of the views of the Department's primary inspectorate on the relative levels of need between applicant schools and the prevailing pupil-teacher ratios of the schools.

In 1995, the Minister for Education commissioned the Combat Poverty Agency to conduct a detailed review of our current approaches to addressing the problem of educational disadvantage. The Minister's decision to commission this study arose from a concern to ensure that our supports were properly targeted and children with real need were in a position to benefit from the scheme. The criteria used in selecting schools for special support and the nature of the supports provided were among the issues addressed in the study.

The report presented by the Combat Poverty Agency was one of the most comprehensive studies of educational disadvantage ever undertaken in the State. It examined the concept of educational disadvantage as it impacted on pupils in the education system. It reviewed the procedures in place to identify and address educational disadvantage. The report also evaluated the effectiveness of current approaches, using a wide range of national and international research data.

While the report recognised the very considerable advances made in alleviating the effects of educational disadvantage, it also made a series of comments and recommendations aimed at improving current arrangements.

Among the key issues raised in the report was a concern that under the current criteria, the scheme did not have due regard to rural and dispersed disadvantage. It was recommended that the criteria be amended to better reflect educational disadvantage as manifested in rural settings as well as urban settings.

It also recommended that a more targeted approach be adopted with resources being directed towards the most disadvantaged urban and rural areas. The report also considered that disadvantaged area supports should be confined to 16 per cent of the schoolgoing population. In this connection, it was noted that the present scheme already extends to more than 17 per cent of pupils.

In response to the Combat Poverty report, the Minister for Education recently launched a new targeted initiative which aims to "break the cycle" of educational disadvantage in selected urban and rural areas. Schools are being selected for support under this initiative by reference to new selection criteria which have been developed by the Education Research Centre. The new criteria take on board the recommendations of the Combat Poverty Agency and address educational disadvantage in both urban and rural settings. The initiative has both an urban and a rural dimension.

For urban schools, a targeted programme of supports will be made available to 25 selected schools in designated areas of disadvantage in the Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway urban areas. In each of the selected schools there will be a maximum of 15 pupils in all junior classes. The schools will also have access to special grant assistance for the purchase of books and materials. A newly appointed co-ordinator will support the development of the programme in the selected urban schools.

A special initiative will also focus on schools throughout the country with fewer than five teachers and particularly schools in rural areas which are serving dispersed populations and which have concentrations of disadvantaged children.

In this case, supports will be made available to 25 clusters of schools. Each cluster will be served by a newly appointed co-ordinator who will work with the families and teachers involved. Children attending schools in the selected clusters will attract a special capitation rate of £75 per pupil. The schools will also attract special grant assistance for the purchase of books and other materials.

The Education Research Centre has recently been in touch with all the target schools and invited applications for consideration for support under the new initiative. The centre will prioritise all applicants in terms of level of need as represented by the data submitted by the schools and will advise my Department of the outcome.

Schools selected as a result of this process will be invited to submit fiveyear development plans. Each such plan will be required to identify current difficulties and put forward specific proposals and targets for addressing the problem of educational disadvantage. Qualification for support will depend on the submission of suitable development plans.

Given the findings of the detailed studies to which I have referred, I am satisfied that the targeted initiative now being pursued by the Minister for Education represents the most appropriate response to the problem of educational disadvantage in our primary schools.