I thank you, Sir, for allowing me raise this matter and the Minister, Deputy Woods, for being here to personally respond to the debate. I wish him well in his new portfolio, where I have no doubt that he will bring his considerable ministerial experience to bear. I hope he will be in a position to sanction the request for a new school for St. Colman's in Macroom.
The current inadequate level of accommodation in this school is giving rise to considerable local concern for the board of management, the teaching staff, the principal and the parents' association. Fourth class in St. Colman's boys' national school, Macroom, is currently accommodated off the main campus, across the national primary road. That class of 30 pupils crosses that national primary road at least six times a day. That situation is totally unsatisfactory. The school is on a quite dangerous bend in the road going through the town, which poses serious difficulties for the safety of the pupils. The Department is paying for the additional rented accommodation which is costing £650 per month, 95% of which, I believe, is paid by the Department. Therefore, there is also a cost factor in the delay.
St. Colman's boys' national school has a teaching principal and four class teachers. It has a resource teacher, a shared remedial teacher and another resource teacher dealing specifically with traveller children, who is shared with the convent national school in Macroom. An unusual, but not unique, situation exists in primary education in Macroom in that boys are accommodated for junior and senior infants and first class in the convent national school while St. Colman's accommodates second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes.
I would like to give an indication of enrolment figures, current and anticipated. In September 1999, 36 boys enrolled at the convent primary school. These pupils will move on to St. Colman's in due course. In September 1996, there were 96 pupils in St. Colman's boys national school. In September 1999, there were 134 pupils in the school and there are now 136. Fortunately, as in other areas, there is a building explosion in the town. In the urban council area in Macroom, 300 houses are under construction. A substantial part of the parish is outside the immediate urban boundary where there are probably as many houses again under construction. The enrolment figures are set to explode.
What we need from the Department is immediate sanction to take account of this. It requires nothing less than a new school. We also have to consider the overall needs of primary education in the town given that at present boys in junior and senior infants and in first class are accommodated in the convent. What will be the long-term demands of primary education in the town? Will that situation continue or will all the boys be on one campus? Is the campus in the convent national school adequate to provide for enrolments as presently structured? Planning for the eventualities is something for which we look to the Department.
I have been in contact with the teaching staff, in particular the principal, the board of management and the parents' association. There is unanimity that the position is totally inadequate. We are looking to the Department for the green light. Immediate sanction for a new school would probably only give us that accommodation in September next year. I appeal to the Minister to involve himself in this matter and to bring a long running saga to a satisfactory conclusion.
