Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter.

Drimnagh Castle secondary school in Walkinstown is one of the most highly regarded schools in the city of Dublin. It is also one of a small number of schools which undertook to provide the leaving certificate technology programme on a pilot basis as part of the leaving certificate programme.

Technology was a hugely popular subject for junior certificate and five classes were taking it in that school at junior certificate level. When it became an option for the leaving certificate, the school was pleased to be able to offer it to the students. Some 24 students were accepted for the subject in fifth year from a total of 40 applicants. They were literally queuing up to get on to the course but the school felt it could only provide for a class of 24 students. Funding was approved to purchase appropriate equipment and materials to run the course adequately. The first phase of this agreed funding was delivered to the school — so far, so good — but the school should have received the second phase at the beginning of the academic year and it is still waiting for that money to come through. The lack of funding is making it difficult for the school to proceed with confidence with the course.

As it stands, the school is officially only able to provide the equipment to teach at junior certificate level because of the lack of the additional funding that it requires. It is most unfair to the students who are taking this as a leaving certificate subject. Presumably they are depending on the subject for points in their leaving certificate and they are entitled to expect that the full service will be in place for them. In the absence of appropriate funding, the school believes it will be more difficult to deliver the course to the standard expected and to give a fair chance to the students.

Drimnagh Castle is one of the most highly regarded schools in Dublin. It delivers quality teaching to its students and has an excellent academic record. However, without the agreed funding for second phase, it will be extremely difficult to continue its popular technology programme. That would seem to be an incredible waste of resources and effort. The school needs to know when the second phase will be in place. I understand that a further 15 schools are in the same situation.

Every time we speak in this House about development, we refer to the need to promote and support science and technology. We have put huge efforts into encouraging students to take these subjects. We now have a situation in which students are queuing to get onto a technology course but the resources are not being put in place so that the school can guarantee the quality of teaching they have a right to expect. I ask that the second phase of funding be delivered as agreed and without further delay.

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