Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Acting Chairman and Deputy Crawford and I agree with the case he has made for Protestant schools. There is one such school in my constituency, namely, the Royal and Prior Protestant school in Raphoe. It provides secondary education for the Protestant community in County Donegal and has been successfully doing so for many years. The school is an amalgamation of two schools, including the Royal, which has a history going back 400 years since its foundation by royal charter by King James I in 1608.

The school has an enrolment of approximately 500 pupils, which includes 30 or 40 boarders. It is most concerned at the negative impact of educational cuts, particularly the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio and the new regulation concerning the employment of substitute teachers. If the proposed cuts are implemented, the school will lose at least two teachers and this will have a negative impact on the number of subjects taught in the school and also the conducting of extra-curricular activities such as essential field trips for subjects such as geography.

The Royal and Prior is a unique school providing the secondary educational needs of a religious minority within Donegal. In view of its special role, I appeal to the Minister to exempt it from any cutbacks that would adversely affect its long and proud tradition of providing the highest standards of education, learning and citizenship, as it has done in Donegal for so many centuries.

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