Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the teachers, SNAs, cleaners, communities, caretakers, parents and schoolchildren who go above and beyond to make sure their schools stay open. The work they do outside of what is funded by Government goes above and beyond. Look at what smaller schools have to do. They do not get the same funding as schools with more than 100 students. There are criteria whereby smaller schools - which are the rural schools - do not get the same type of funding.

They get only a certain number of secretarial staff. I thank the secretaries of the schools as well who go above and beyond to do the work within the schools.

I thank the people who come together to put in place after-school places for children, and preschools, for what they do to make sure they are feeder schools and they allow people to work and to have the infrastructure in their areas. When it comes to funding these preschools, the Department provides matched funding. In Bruff, County Limerick, for instance, where they are trying to build a preschool and after-school service, every time they go to the contractor the cost is going up week-on-week because of inflation. The Government needs to step in here and make sure there is a fund put in place so that where inflation is rising by 10% or 15% on building contracts, they cover the full amount of that to make sure these preschools and after-schools are fully funded because the rest of it comes back to the communities to raise to make sure our schools survive.

As I say, the people in the schools and in the parishes we represent go above and beyond and no money would pay them for what they do to make sure the education of the children going forward is protected.

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