Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not sure who sent out text messages to that effect. Teachers are employed by the boards of management and paid by the Department of Education and Skills. The Government has no intention of closing down any small schools without the consent of the parents. In some cases, parents decide that a school is so small they need their children to go to a larger school with better facilities but the Government has a long-standing position of not closing small schools. Whoever sent the text message needs to be clear about that. It was not a Government direction.

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