John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy O'Mahony for sharing time on this important issue. The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, gave an undertaking that DEIS schools would not be subject to cutbacks. This offered some comfort to schools, staff and parents in disadvantaged areas. We are now witnessing the rolling back of this undertaking by the Minister with the axing of the vital service of rural co-ordinators in many DEIS cluster schools.

Kilmactigue national school and Castlerock national school in County Sligo are classified as DEIS schools, with the latter being the base school for a cluster of five DEIS schools. As a result of two schools within the cluster losing DEIS status, the cluster was broken up. Kilmactigue national school proposed a new cluster in order that the vital rural co-ordinator service could continue. However, it received a reply from the inclusion unit of the Department stating that having considered the size and level of disadvantage of the schools in question, their geographical location and proximity to other schools, it was not possible in the reclustering review to include all the schools in the cluster. For this reason, it was decided that some geographically isolated schools and-or have small enrolments were not entitled to a rural co-ordinator.

If the schools in question were deemed disadvantaged and warranted the appointment of a rural co-ordinator five years ago, what has changed in the meantime? The schools, which were classified as disadvantaged five years ago, are still disadvantaged and still have a low enrolment. The rural co-ordinator role was a vital link between the home and school for those families who needed it. It provided home school liaison programmes, as well as parenting and family support for those in disadvantaged areas.

This cutback is another example of the most vulnerable in society suffering as a result of a lack of prioritisation in the management of the rollout of funding. The very families who need these supports are now losing out through the withdrawal of the vital rural co-ordinator service, a decision which will place further strain on the resources of schools in disadvantaged areas. I call on the Minister to include the DEIS schools in question, Kilmactigue national school, Kinaffe national school, Lahinch national school, Castlerock national school and Carramore national school, in the cluster programme to ensure their rural co-ordinator service is retained. As Deputy O'Mahony stated, this is a vital service and maintaining it will not lead to additional costs. The Minister should take a common sense approach to the benefits of maintaining a rural co-ordinator for the schools in question. It would be easy to facilitate the retention of the co-ordinator.

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