Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I wish to share time with Deputy Lynch and Deputy Gilmore.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate this evening and I congratulate Deputy O'Sullivan for proposing the motion. I hear about the issue every day in my constituency. I attended a residents' meeting yesterday and one of the main topics was the concern in the local community over development in the area, and specifically its impact on local schools. The residents see young families coming into the area but there is no plan for school places for children. They anticipate those needs and called on the Minister to ensure places would be made available. It seems all they can look forward to are prefabs.

Harold's Cross primary school is in my constituency. Next year the fourth and fifth classes will combine in a shared classroom of 37 pupils. Part of the fifth and the sixth classes will also combine with a total of 38 pupils, taught by one teacher. The school is part of the DEIS programme and it is a disservice to the pupils and teachers of the school that it is not provided with adequate teaching resources to educate its children. The school has worked really hard to provide best quality education and services for its pupils but it is totally unsatisfactory that it is expected to do so. It places a huge burden on the teachers and the pupils.

The Minister should consider the special conditions of this school and provide the necessary classes. I will declare an interest, being on the board of management of the school, and I know at first hand the effort that goes into maintaining it and ensuring the best quality service and provision of education. I never cease to be amazed at the commitment and generosity of parents who continue to fundraise for their schools so that the facilities that should be provided by the State are there for their children. It is not good enough that parents who are very often on social welfare or low incomes, as many are in my constituency, are called on to provide extras which are basics, because they are nothing remotely like a luxury for their school.

St. Michael's primary school in Inchicore has recently received attention. I am sure the Minister of State is aware of the situation. I appreciate that it was not the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, who decided to give only eight weeks' notice of closure but it put the school, the teachers and the pupils in a very difficult situation. I welcome the fact that it has been given a stay of execution of at least a year in which the situation can be reviewed. It is more than an opportunity to see where the children can otherwise be accommodated.

Most parents I encounter plan for their child's education after they are christened. They like to book them into schools in certain areas. The parents of children in St. Michael's were asked to find alternative places for their children within eight weeks. Many of the children affected are from a disadvantaged background. The fact that parents had to try to find alternative schools put a huge burden on them. Many of them would be at risk of dropping out of the school system entirely if that were to happen. We cannot allow that to happen. There is good regeneration in the area and a new community is developing. Old flats are being knocked down and nice new houses and apartments built. Young people will be coming into the area so there will be more families and a greater need for schools, but there is no boys' secondary school in that catchment area.

The National Educational Welfare Board was established to look out for children at risk and who had problems such as with poor attendance at school. In reality the board is not sufficiently resourced to address the myriad problems that arise on a daily basis, in particular where there is disadvantage. It cannot deliver the service it was set up to deliver if the resources are not available to it. It is not acceptable to have a token system in place. A protective role should ensure the right of young children to a decent education. The focus should be on those most at risk in disadvantaged areas, but that is not happening at the moment.

The fact that there is a lack of planning was raised at my constituency meeting last night. There has been an explosion of apartment-building in the area, which will inevitably attract young families and more children. Approximately two years ago there was an application for a huge development but not even a token effort to address the need for a school. All that was planned was a crèche. The local schools were already stretched but nobody had thought of the need for a new school. It highlights the lack of planning and co-ordination among the various activities and the lack of connection between local authorities and the Department of Education and Science.

The educational needs of communities have to be linked to all other developments that take place. Targets have to be set now and not when the crisis happens. The prefab era should be over and the pupil-teacher ratio should reach the promised level in line with best international practice.

I can relate to what Deputy Connolly said and it has been raised with me many times. Many principals have said they regretted taking on the responsibility or have threatened to leave because of the pressure. In one case, a principal teacher of two years threatened to leave if he did not receive adequate resources and he has done just that. He had enough.

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