Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I too want to raise the issue of the reopening of schools in September. The latter is only four to five weeks away. I am certainly picking up a sense of panic from parents and hearing questions from teachers. Obviously, the aim for some considerable time has been for schools to return in September. However, the question now is how that will happen. We know that youngsters have missed out on play-based learning. We know they have missed key building blocks in terms of their social and learning skills. We know children going into secondary school have missed out on particular rites of passage. Some of these events have been lost. The question is where we go from here. There must be a recognition that whatever we do must be done safely. However, there is no clear picture emerging. My colleague, Deputy Gannon, and others met with the Minister for Education and Skills last week. Not one single piece of reassurance was provided at that meeting. There was no clarity whatsoever on what is on offer. Quickly after the meeting, there was a press statement indicating that a broad briefing had been provided. That was not the case.

At the meeting of the Business Committee earlier, I requested that there should be a slot for a debate on this matter next week. I feel we got a reassurance that there would be such a debate. I see the Deputy Chief Whip across the Chamber, and I hope that will be the case. There is a framework document sitting on the Department's website. I have no doubt that there is an aspiration to open schools, but an aspiration will not cut the mustard. We have to see the details.

We can see what it takes for people to socially distance in this auditorium. There are classrooms in which there will be 32 children, a special needs assistant and a teacher. Space is tight even at the best of times. Will additional teachers be brought in? Is the Government looking imaginatively at other facilities and locations that could be used, such as sports halls, etc., which could be used to our schools back up and running? Are we talking about schools fully returning? Will be the Tánaiste specify what the term "partially back" means? Parents are now full-time carers, full-time educators and are working full-time. They are at breaking point. We need information as to how outbreaks in schools will be handled. There are so many details we need to know in the context of how this is going to happen. What is the optimum of what we can expect?

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