Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I do not envy him his job. This is a small school in a small community and he has a huge Department to manage, but a solution to what is now a crisis should have been found months ago. The Department had been aware of the problems in Faughart for some time and I had brought them directly to the Minister's attention, but the Department decided not to intervene and to leave it to the patron to manage the school. The Minister has said the Department does not have authority in that regard, that it rests with the patron and the school community. However, it is now a school without pupils and the mind boggles. The school manager has a role to play in place of the board of management and although I have serious reservations about whether schools should have patrons - I certainly believe this issue should be reviewed to meet modern needs and ethos of our society and attitudes in a changing Ireland - the patron has a role to play, as does the community. The Department, however, should be the driver in the relationship and I welcome the Minister's remark that it is engaging locally. I sincerely hope we can save a school that has been in place and served the community well for generations. There is a fabulous school community which comprises parents who want the very best for their children. I appeal, as I did previously, to the Minister to meet the parents. I note that he did not respond to me, but he should listen to them first hand and then use his common sense and goodwill. If he was a parent placed in his dilemma, the last thing he would want to do is to remove his child from education. That so many parents have done so to the point where the school has no pupils shows how seriously they feel about the issues involved. As it would not take up much of the Minister's time, I ask him to take a hands-on approach. The issues can be resolved, but only if the process is driven by him and the Department.

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