Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important matter.

Last Friday night I attended a hastily convened but hugely successful meeting of parents, teachers and pupils of Seamount College, Kinvara, County Galway. The purpose of the meeting was to let all stakeholders know of the decision conveyed the previous day by the Sisters of Mercy of their intention to discontinue second level education at Seamount. The news was like a bombshell. Nobody had heard mention of it 24 hours previously. Needless to say this news rested uneasily on the shoulders of everybody present. Nobody should be surprised at that because Seamount, an all-girls' school with an enrolment of 243 pupils, has been a wonderful conduit for quality education dating back to the 1920s and as recently as two years ago it received honourable mention in the national press for its excellent examination results.

I want to convey to the House the bewilderment and annoyance felt by people although not at the decision of the Sisters of Mercy to discontinue education at the college, which is their right. I agree with Deputy McHugh that they were outstanding in the delivery of education over the years. People are annoyed that they gave such short notice and did not at least try to provide the excellent principal, her staff and the board of management with a window of opportunity to keep the college open, and for it to be the heartbeat of a thriving and expanding community encompassing Kinvara, Ballinderry and parts of Oranmore and a substantial part of the Minister of State's county.

The Sisters of Mercy will put in place a manager and there will be no intake of first year students next September. That cannot be allowed to happen. There is another issue, namely, the fact this is a small school but that does not mean it is not a good one. I want the Minister of State and her senior Minister to get the message across that the conveyor belt attitude whereby a school is only perceived to be good because it has a large number of students is not correct.

If this school in Kinvara decided to become co-educational, one can imagine what would happen to the numbers, although that is a matter for the parents, but it is an option. There is very little spare capacity in contiguous colleges in and around Kinvara where the students attending this college are likely to go. Irrespective of what the Department of Education and Science will do in this regard, it will cost money. With regard to the value for money aspect, given the planning status of Seamount College property is only for recreational and education purposes, it will be easier for the Department to do a deal with the Sisters of Mercy and with everybody concerned.

Like Deputy McHugh, I ask the Minister of State to engage with the principal and board of management immediately on this matter.

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