This school was built in 1948 and this application has been with the Department of Education and Science for the past six years. Unfortunately, because the Department failed to contact the board of management, the parents' association or the chairman of the board, the parents found it necessary to fund raise and to provide one additional general purpose room in the school. That was a fantastic achievement in a small rural community. The former President of Ireland, Mrs. Robinson, honoured them by opening it when she visited the area in 1996.
The application before the Department is twofold. One part relates to a matter of safety for the children, parents and all who use the school on a regular basis. It is located on the main Limerick-Galway road on which a considerable amount of traffic travels at a very high speed. To avoid the danger of allowing young children wander along the main national primary route, parents must drop off and pick up their children on the side of the road. The board of management has requested permission and assistance from the Office of Public Works and the Department to provide off-road parking at the school – inside the boundary wall. Nobody could refuse such an application given the high volume and high speed of traffic on this route.
The second element of the application relates to the provision of two additional rooms – one for use as a staff room-cum-library-cum-medical room and the other for use by a resource and remedial teacher. The school is lucky enough to have the benefit of a remedial teacher based in the school. It also has a resource teacher thus necessitating a large amount of space.
When they contacted the Department recently the Office of Public Works person, Mr. Michael Burke, was sent out. He indicated that they should apply to Galway County Council for permission. Planning permission has been received for that work if the Board of Works, under the observation and brief of the Department, will allow it to start as a matter of urgency.
The Department indicated to the board of management and the parents' association that the other element of the request will be a long-term project. It is a small request from a rural school which is unique in that enrolment figures show an increase. Because it was built in 1948, other refurbishment, including sanitary facilities, windows, doors, etc. in addition to the two rooms, are needed. Will the Minister ensure it does not become a long-term project because it is a matter of great urgency to all involved? To take a short cut around the long report which might be needed or reviews as they were termed in the past, the parents have undertaken a survey of the potential enrolment in the school over the next five years. From third class to fifth class, which is four classes, the intake in the forthcoming four years will more than compensate for loss of numbers. If the Department is questioning the viability of the school, it has been given proof that there is no danger of it being a non-viable project.
This area, which is within commuting distance of Galway, is growing. Will the Minister respond as a matter of urgency to their meagre needs? The parents have indicated their determination to provide the best education possible by their initiative in fund-raising to provide an all purpose room. Safety is of the utmost importance in this regard.
