I thank the Minister for coming to the House to take this motion which is important to us in Limerick West. It concerns one of the key education establishments at Mount Trenchard in Foynes. It is important for the future of second level education in the Foynes, Glin, Shanagolden, Kilcolman area. I call on the Minister and on the Government to secure the future of this school as the excellent establishment it has been since 1958. It has contributed enormously to education in the area and now the school is under threat.
The school has been run by the Sisters of Mercy and in January 1991 the sisters indicated to the parents that they were obliged to re-examine their position and withdraw from teaching at the school. They gave as their reasons the shortage of religious personnel to man the school, the financial drain on the order and the inadequate grants from the Department.
This school was established in 1958 as a boarding school and subsequently became both a boarding and a day school. Mount Trenchard, adjacent to Foynes, is an ideal location for an education establishment. It is a rural area and is not affected by traffic or urbanisation. It is also an area of development. There are 300 people working in Foynes. Some weeks ago we discussed a £20 million development programme for the area which will increase employment by another 400. Therefore it is important that adequate educational facilities are maintained.
About 230 pupils attend the school at present. The Department is anxious to rationalise schools in the area and to achieve that, the parents have proposed amalgamation with the Shanagolden vocational school. The local vocational education committee has welcomed this and is prepared to establish a community college in Mount Trenchard, Foynes. The problems of rationalisation have been solved by the parents' decision. The vocational education committee has agreed and intends to develop the school as an adult education facility during the school holidays as it is ideal for that purpose.
The Sisters of Mercy are prepared to sell the property for £500,000. The architect engaged by the action committee considers this good value as the school is in good condition. I understand that this was discussed with the Department and it was agreed that the local architect would meet the Department of Education's architect to examine the situation. Perhaps the Minister would report on the outcome of that meeting.
Last March the Sisters of Mercy announced that the school would not accept first year students from September. That is the death knell of the school. People have lost confidence in its future. It should be re-established as a matter of urgency to allow the school to continue its excellent work. Parents, children and teachers are uncertain about the future and that uncertainty should be resolved. When a school is in difficulties and the number of pupils decreases, confidence in the school is lost. Because the school gradually deteriorates, the Department is not obliged to close it. In this case the Sisters of Mercy have forced the issue and the Department is obliged to inform us of its decision. I urge the Minister to ensure that the decision is positive.
I compliment the local committee who has done excellent work in lobbying the Department and local representatives who are fully appraised of the situation.