Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise an important issue on the conditions for teachers and students at Kilfinane national school, County Limerick. I have been raising this issue for the past six years. There is an increased urgency for the construction of a new school at Kilfinane. I have seen at first hand the conditions pertaining there, which are continuing to deteriorate, as the school is very old. The promises made some three years ago that a school would be built immediately after the general election should now be honoured.

The report to the INTO made it clear that the facilities at the school are unsatisfactory and have been so for several years. The school is the base for a remedial teacher who is shared among five schools. Her classroom is a cubicle partitioned off a room also used as a staff room, library and office. The resource teacher works in similar conditions. The disruption is continuous and not conducive to a learning experience. It renders the teacher's job particularly difficult and places the children who learn in that environment at a further disadvantage. There are no indoor PE facilities, no general purpose room and no place for children to leave their gear for outdoor games. The staff is enthusiastic in encouraging the use of computers but with so little space this is extremely difficult. Toilet facilities for staff are inadequate while the outdoor facilities for children are Dickensian. I doubt that the school building would pass examination by the Health and Safety Authority. The school was forced to close for two days recently because of concern for the safety of the children.

It is more than eight years since representations were first made regarding the provision of this school. The feasibility study carried out clearly shows that a new building is the only viable option. A site was acquired for this purpose and the Department of Education and Science commissioned a feasibility study on the site and found it suitable. The staff wants what is best for the children of the parish. They also need practical working conditions to enable them to carry out their professional duties. They have found themselves frustrated over the years. The school has a shared remedial teacher, a full-time resource teacher and a part-time resource teacher. In January 1998 the board of management applied to the Department of Education and Science to carry out structural works on the old school. The Department and the board of management decided that a new school was required. Approval was granted in 2001.

The existing building dates back to 1909. The school is housed in a converted church. It consists of six small classrooms, three of which are only 25 square metres in area. There is a tiny ancillary room used as the library and a tiny office and cloakroom. There is also a small central hall that can be accessed from the classrooms. Part of this hall has had to be sacrificed to accommodate the secretary's office. There is no staff room and the toilets are situated outdoors. The outdoor playing space is very limited and teachers are concerned for the safety of the children. Three other classrooms measure seven by five metres in area and house classes of between 25 and 30 pupils. Partitions between classrooms are wafer-thin, consisting of narrow timber boards or glass and are not sound-proof which causes difficulties for teaching and learning. The timber floors have begun to sag in many areas due to the building design. Ceilings are very high and temperature extremes are common. The present school is situated on a steep slope, which creates safety problems. There are many unavoidable drops and steps within the site, which are dangerous and always a concern to teachers and parents.

The delay in acquiring the site was claimed as a reason for not providing the school. In November 2002 the site was acquired. The Department knew of the school's problems and the need for a new school back in 1998. There is evidence of dry rot and many of the windows cannot be opened, leading to a lack of ventilation. Sinks are provided in only three of the rooms. There is no staff room.

Kilfinane is a developing community. In the past three years there have been 220 planning permissions for dwelling houses within a radius of three miles. The projected estimate is for 250 dwellings within the next three years. It is an expanding community in need of a new school, not alone for the present pupils and teachers but for future pupils and teachers.

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