Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

——and her reactive attitude. She is unwilling to engage in real debate or consider any proposals except her own. I must ask whether she or Deputy Curran has ever met the parents of a child who has left school, willingly or otherwise, and found himself or herself with no place else to go. I beg them to open their minds on the issue and think outside the box. Let us help all those who can and wish to stay in school, doing everything we can to keep students there. However, let us also not turn our backs when it comes to those for whom school is not working. Exciting alternatives are available that are already successful in this country. I reject the attempt to describe them as ghettoes or dumps.

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