Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be able to thank God. The child came first, and I have first-hand experience of that. That has been the case during the time I have been a chairperson and a member of the board. The child always came first. I would like to calculate the amount of time we spent talking about religion on that board in ten years but I can safely say it did not take up too many hours because it was not an issue.

The child and the teaching of the child always came first in the school. That is the most important thing. I could not speak about this if I was not on a board, but I am and I know exactly what it is like. Nobody wants to admit that only for the local priest the school would not be there. Some people want to get rid of the church from schools, but they do not realise that it was Fr. Hurley, God rest his soul, who came up with the idea some years ago that we would build a school in Schull where male and female pupils could attend. We closed the convent school and the boys' national school and we now have one fabulous school going forward with a super principal, Mr. Diarmuid Duggan.

Reference was made to the difficulties faced by children who are of no religion or different religions when there are communions in the school. The schools accommodate this, in the same way they accommodate a pupil who may not need to learn Irish or other pupils. It does not mean that we have to shut down the school because a pupil is not able to do Irish. It does not mean that if a child cannot do physical education there is an issue. The schools accommodate these cases.

There has to be an understanding that the church is not all that bad as people proclaim it to be with regard to schools. It really comes down to the principal and how he or she runs the school, and to the board of management. Boards of management are made up of various representatives: two from the church, two from the community, two from the parents' association and two teachers' representatives. The church is totally outnumbered on the board so Deputies should not worry about that. I am a community representative on our board of management. People might say I should be a political representative but I was on the board over many years before I went into politics and people decided it was okay; it was up to the community to make that decision, not me.

I do not like to hear church bashing. Obviously there may need to be changes and people need to be aware that those children who have no religion need to be in these same schools. These pupils must be accepted with open arms the same as everybody else. This is the way it has been in the national school I represent and I am proud of this. I would not be on the board of management if it was any different. I never ask anyone about this. It is the same in politics: I do not ask anyone about their colour or their creed. When they come into my office I deal with their issues and do not even ask which constituency they come from. That is the way I have always been.

I stress that there are more important issues such as the pupil-teacher ratio in primary school classes. This is far more important for the education of our children. From junior infants through to sixth class this ratio must be reduced. It is vital that we stand up for the rights of our children's education. This is a far more important issue according to the parents with whom I speak. The children are our future.

Another important issue affecting schools is the capitation grant. We should be discussing this issue today because I am aware that schools, led by the principals, are out there - as a politician once said - with our paws out. We are looking for money to keep the basics going, to fill the oil tank in the school and to pay for the secretary. The money is not there because the capitation grant is not meeting the needs of the schools. It is not just the local national school in west Cork: this is replicated throughout the State in every other national school. It is a very difficult situation for schools to be in. They should not have to be in this situation and it is a far more important matter to be addressed than amendment No. 31 that we are currently discussing.

I wish to bring the serious issue of school waiting lists to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. It has become a huge issue. While I understand there are certain rules around feeder schools for second level students I feel that every parent and child who applies to a school should receive a direct, written response. There should be a more transparent way to be more open, for the purposes of parents' understanding the why, where and when. I am currently dealing with a situation where children were taken in from a non-feeder school before feeder school children were taken in. The parent concerned is very stressed, cannot understand why and feels the child was victimised. The parent is seeking an answer because the current rules and regulations state that the child would be taken from a feeder school before a child from a non-feeder school. It did not happen, unfortunately, in this case.

My constituency covers a vast area, and I accept it is not hugely populated, but nobody is coming to my office asking for the religious to be out of the schools. People are, however, coming to see me about the capitation grants, special needs assistants and all the other issues I have just referred to. These are the issues that really concern parents. Anybody who is in touch with parents knows that these are the issues they want resolved. I would appreciate if the Minister would focus more on those issues.

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