Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

Ennis CBS primary school is the standard bearer primary school in Ennis and has provided education for generations of families in County Clare. The school educates 569 pupils and that figure is set to grow to more than 590 students next September. Last Friday Deputy Breen and I visited Ennis CBS and met the principal and representatives of the board of management and parents' council. In an Ireland of 2009 it is indefensible that the Minister for Education and Science has turned a blind eye to the fact that over 40% of the pupils of this school are being educated in a building that dates back to the 1930s. Are we saying the 21st century student should be educated in early 20th century conditions? It is a further scandal that another 30% of the population is being educated in temporary prefabs.

The principal, board of management and parents' association have been very patient. They have worked with Department of Education and Science officials on this project since initial talks dating back a decade to 1998. Understandably that patience has turned to frustration and anger. There is frustration at the delay in progressing the project to the tender and construction phase and anger at the Department's complete failure to treat this school as a priority, given the number of students attending it.

It has been 20 years since the school, built to cater for 400 students, received a major upgrade. It is worth pointing out what that means for staff and students. The staff room has to double up as a part-time resource teaching room. Parts of corridors have been converted into classrooms. Cloakrooms have been converted into extra toilets and resource teaching space. We are discussing an opportunity for the next generation of children. We are discussing children having to cross the playground in all kinds of weather to access toilets. If this were in a developing country we would be discussing it as a human rights issue. That must stop. I invite the Minister to Ennis CBS to see first hand the problems there. It is appalling. This school must go ahead in the very near future.

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