Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas agus fáilte as an deis labhairt ar an cheist rí-thábhachtach seo. Ceist ámharach í seo lenar cóir dúinn déileáil i bhfad roimhe seo.

There is a desperate need for diversity in our schools, especially in an Ireland which is growing to include many different cultures, nationalities and religions. Everyone will be in agreement when I state that the structure we have at present is outdated and unsustainable. The separation of church and State must be completed. Today, the State pays for education through capitation grants, teachers' salaries and a range of other funding. This funding is not enough but we will not go into that. The vast majority of primary and secondary schools are not under democratic control. They are predominantly under the patronage of Catholic bishops and in the ownership of the Catholic Church. This is a legacy of an old era of ecclesiastical power and control. This must change and we must move to a democratically-controlled education system, truly representative of the community we have today and respecting the rights of people of all religions and none, and a school system that is totally children-centred.

There is a clear need for change and the Catholic Church itself has acknowledged an oversupply of Catholic national schools, and has recognised the need for a far more balanced provision to the benefit of all providers. The structure of primary education is out of synch with stated population preferences. Some 98% of our schools are under some denominational control while only 58% of parents support continued church management.

The Educate Together model of primary schools mentioned by other Deputies and the long-established model of multi-denominational secondary schools under the patronage of vocational education committees, VECs, have provided a template of where we need to go from here. VECs must be supported, strengthened and given the structures needed to provide multi and non-denominational schools in a manner which is wholly accountable and managed by the community. In my area I have been lobbied by quite a number of constituents who want their children to be educated in multi-denominational schools, of which there are already a number which are quite successful.

The Portobello Educate Together start-up group is seeking recognition so that it can establish a multi-denominational school which is needed to serve an area with a large population, that is, Dublin 2, 6, 8 and 12. The start-up group involves 180 parents at this stage and has pre-enrolment forms completed for more than 100 children. It has also secured temporary premises. I call on the Minister to act now to make this school available to the children in the constituency in time for September 2011 at the latest. This can be done by making provision for an additional school, which is the desired model, or by intervening to secure the prompt transfer of patronage from one of the existing Catholic schools. I understand the education secretary of the Dublin archdiocese indicated that transferring patronage of a school in the area to a multi-denominational patron is something it was quite open to considering. That needs to be progressed and the Minister's intervention in this is necessary to accelerate this process.

When it comes to the delivery of primary education parental choice must be recognised as a paramount consideration. I have been lobbied by the parents to which I referred and others who have had their children on several waiting lists for multi-denominational schools since birth, but in many cases there is no chance that they will manage to get the school of their choice because there are not enough Educate Together non-denominational schools in the area to meet the demand.

Griffith Barracks National School is another Educate School which is quite successful and is bursting at the seams. It was recognised by the Department because it said it could go the public private partnership route. The public private partnership collapsed and the school is still in old barracks which was unfit for soldiers but which is now being used for a school. The school did a great deal of work to try to ensure it is fit for use as a school. It also uses prefabricated buildings. That situation cannot continue. A new building, built by the State, is needed. It should not be procured through public private partnership but through investment because it is an investment in education.

Another situation which is absolutely scandalous is that of gaelscoileanna. A new gaelscoil has not received recognition since 2008. This State should create demand for gaelscoileanna, not answer the demand - ag cruthú éileamh seachas é a shásamh. Níl an Stáit ag sásamh an éileamh atá ann do ghaelscoileanna ar fud na tíre. Níl aon aitheantas á thabhairt ag an Stáit do ghaelscoileanna nua agus níl an cuma air go n-athróidh sé sin i mbliana. A new gaelscoil will not be granted patronage for 2010 and this is a terrible indictment of the Government's unwillingness to accept that demographics are changing and that parents are choosing to have their children educated through Irish. They have a right to do so and the State needs to facilitate that right.

Gabhaim comhghairdeas leo siúd atá ag déanamh seasamh cróga ar son Gaelscoil Ráth Tó. Tá na tuismitheoirí ag iarraidh a chinntiú go bhfuil a bpáistí oilte tríd an teanga oifigiúil náisiúnta. Cuireann an streachailt atá ar bun acu feachtas eile i gcuimhne dom - na hiarrachtaí a rinne mo chlann agus clanna eile go luath sna 1970í chun scoil Dhún Chaoin a chosaint. Tá sé náireach go bhfuil an Stáit ag iarraidh cosc a chur ar ghaelscoileanna nua. Bhí dream ag iarraidh gaelscoil a bhunú i mo cheantar fhéin, ach tá an cinneadh curtha ar athló go dtí go bhfuil an Stáit agus an Roinn ag díriú isteach ar cheist na gaelscolaíochta. Tá éileamh do ghaelscoileanna i mBaile Átha Cliath 12, i mBaile Átha Cliath 8, i mBaile Átha Cliath 10 agus i go leor ceantracha eile sa tír. Dá mbeadh an Stáit sásta tacaíocht cheart a thabhairt dóibh, bheadh na scoileanna seo in ann maireachtáil agus borradh.

The gaelscoil in Ráth Tó will open in September 2010 regardless of the decision of the State not to acknowledge it and which has refused it patronage. There is huge demand for the gaelscoil but the Department refuses to differentiate between new schools on the basis of the language of tuition. This means that the Irish language rights of parents and children are being disregarded. That cannot continue. We need serious change in the criteria for recognition of new schools, which is currently stacked against the Irish language schools, the result of which is that no new Gaelscoil has been approved since 2008 and there is no indication to date that the Government and Department are willing to move on that situation, mo náire sibh.

I referred to my area. In replies to parliamentary questions which I put to the Minister she seems to avoid giving direct answers to direct questions regarding my constituency and that never bodes well. In her most recent response she stated that a technical group is considering "the issue of how best to measure or gauge the views of parents in relation to diversity of school provision in a locality". The instance of Portobello Educate Together, for which 180 parents are formally seeking a multi-denominational school and the 200 or 300 children on a waiting list for Griffith Barracks Educate Together and Ranelagh Educate Together, respectively, speaks for itself. There are thousands of parents who have children on waiting lists for gaelscoileanna, which also speaks for itself.

I invite the Minister to give a commitment that the Government will provide multi-denominational schools for all of these children and will expedite and give serious consideration to the transfer of patronage from existing Catholic schools if the Catholic Church, as it seems to have indicated to date, is willing to consider this. If such a transfer cannot happen then the State has to step in and build schools. The investment by the State in schools could be part of the reconstruction of our economy. It could create schools to meet the demand up and down the country and deal with the issues of patronage, prefabricated buildings, parental choice and language choice for children at the same time.

Diversity in schools also means recognising the differing strengths and weaknesses of the individual students. Programmes such as the leaving certificate applied, the leaving certificate vocational programme and Youthreach have made huge inroads into combating disadvantage and offering a different type of education for different needs. Such programmes should be protected and championed.

I refer to another issue. Senior Traveller training centres will be subject to a 25% cut this summer, a cut equivalent to 300 places across the State. It is no good talking about diversity in the education system when this Government is slashing funding from one of the most marginalised groups in society.

Such a cut should not happen. If the Government is serious about promoting diversity in schools, it should not proceed with any of the cuts which will undermine the great work done to deliver diversity in our education system.

There is a need for us to move on as a society, to provide more choice in our education system, to throw out the archaic system of religious control over education and to recognise the different levels of ability in education. The Government has an opportunity to take a stand. It must be imaginative and realise this issue will not go away. We are growing up as a society and our education system must reflect that, but it will not do so if we implement cuts to the detriment of the key component of an education system, the child. If those cuts continue, they will have a detrimental effect on the education of the child and on parents and society as a whole.

I urge the Minister to recognise and invest in Educate Together schools which have jumped through every hoop put in place by the Department. As soon as they reach a target, the criteria changes or the Department blocks it. That is the biggest scandal. These groups work voluntarily; they are not paid officials or Deputies. These people come together and put their time and effort into planning. When a target is reached, the rules and regulations change or there is a delay for another two or three years. The Minister and the Government are delaying recognition of these schools which have met all the criteria. That issue must be addressed.

I call on the Minister and the Government to change their stance and invest in these schools, not in prefabricated buildings but in proper buildings. If we invest in them now, it will pay dividends over time. This should not be done by way of public private partnerships but by the State. That commitment would show the children and the parents that the State respects their education and contribution to the education system.

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