Dáil debates

Wednesday, 14 February 2018

12:20 pm

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Despite the fact that 96% of our State-funded primary schools remain under the patronage of religious bodies, we now have the farcical situation where a number of oversubscribed multidenominational schools have been told to limit their intakes severely to a half stream of just 13 pupils from next September. The five Educate Together schools, in Trim, Tramore, Tuam, New Ross and Castlebar were established under the school divestment programme. This programme recommended that existing denominational school buildings be divested and transferred to Educate Together to reflect parental demand. However, just a handful of schools have opened under this process.

In total, eight have been established by Educate Together. Of the eight, only two are located in buildings that have been vacated by a Catholic school, while just one Church of Ireland school has transferred patronage. In spite of this, the Department has stepped in to stymie the development of the other five schools by severely limiting their intake. Not only is this causing huge upset among parents in these areas, it also flies in the face of the Department's previous statements on the need for these schools. Clearly, the Department and the Minister are reneging on earlier undertakings. In its analysis of the areas the Department not only found that there was demand for at least a half stream in the majority of the schools, it also recommended that, taking account of the likely long-term requirements, accommodation options to provide for a full stream should be considered. That was the final finding in respect of each of the schools.

In its letter to one of the schools the Department claimed that the intention of the divestment programme was to ensure the establishment of a divested school would not adversely affect existing primary schools in the area. Surely the Taoiseach can see that that is a contradiction in terms. The purpose of the divestment programme is to re-balance the numbers of school places in order to meet and reflect the demand from parents. How can this happen when existing multidenominational schools are being undermined and parents' choice of patronage is being denied? Will the Taoiseach undertake to ensure the Department's erroneous instructions to the five multidenominational schools will be withdrawn immediately and the schools permitted to proceed with a full junior infants class intake in September in order that they can continue to thrive and meet the established demand from local families?

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