Dáil debates
Tuesday, 8 March 2022
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta
10:45 pm
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Baineann mo cheist le Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde i Leitir Calaidh i gCeantar na nOileán. Chualamar trí na meáin chumarsáide go raibh an scoil ag dúnadh. Tá cathaoirleach an bhoird agus bainistíocht na scoile ag cur in iúl go mbeidh an scoil ag dúnadh ag deireadh na scoilbhliana seo. Chuir sé iontas orainne go léir, go háirithe na tuismitheoirí agus muintir an cheantair. Tuigim go bhfuil an figiúr sa scoil íseal ó thaobh na ndaltaí de ach tá an chosúlacht ar an scéal gur tháinig an cinneadh aniar aduaidh ar na daoine sa cheantar agus, mar a dúirt mé, ar na tuismitheoirí. I dtús báire táim ag iarraidh aird na Roinne a tharraingt ar an bhfógra seo go bhfuil an scoil ag dúnadh. Chomh maith leis sin, ba mhaith liom soiléiriú an raibh an Roinn ar an eolas go raibh an scoil seo le dúnadh. An raibh teagmháil idir lucht bainistíochta na scoile agus an Roinn?
The Topical Issue I have raised is self-evident. There has been an announcement that Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde, Leitir Calaidh, Ceantar na nOileán, is closing. The announcement was made by an email to the parents, and I heard it on the radio. It surprised all of us, not least the parents of the pupils in the school and the people in the area. The school has fought many battles and has managed to stay open. It is in the heart of the Gaeltacht. Already, two other schools have closed in the area. I have brought in the relevant policy, Polasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017–2022, which was launched with great fanfare in 2016. One of the best things to come out of any Government, as I said at the time, was the very positive policy whereby schools in the Gaeltacht could do everything in Irish and get special recognition for that. There was a process and steps, and there was to be extra help.
That policy was in recognition of the urgent need to have such a policy for the Gaeltacht areas. There is a school that is at the heart of the community, as the Minister of State knows well from his own work i gcroílár na Gaeltachta agus an phobail. Now there is an announcement that it is to close. Was the Department aware of this? Was it made aware of this? If so, when and how? What steps is the Government taking in relation to the matter? Has the Department been in touch with the school or the board of management? I understand the permission of the Department is necessary when a school is going to close, or certainly, there has to be some interaction between the school and the Department. I am seeking clarification on the matter.
10:55 pm
Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for Education. I thank Deputy Connolly for raising the matter. It provides an opportunity to clarify the current position in relation to Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde.
As the Deputy is aware, Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde is an all-Irish co-educational primary school with a Catholic ethos. The current staffing is a principal, one special education teacher post and one part-time special education teaching post, with an enrolment of eight pupils in September 2021. The programme for Government contains a commitment to continue to recognise the importance of small schools. Small schools are highly valued in their communities in that they provide a vital link to local heritage and history, help sustain rural populations and often act as a link for sports and social activities. Coming from a rural background, the Minister is very much aware of the huge importance of small schools to communities right across Ireland. She has asked her Department to work with education partners to examine ways to support such schools in their communities and to ensure a more sustainable future for them. In general, small schools are considered to be schools with four teachers or less. A number of positive measures have been implemented to support small schools, including an improvement of one point in the appointment threshold and a reduction in the number of students required to retain a teacher, which was introduced in September 2021.
The current staffing arrangements at primary level operate on the basis of one teacher for every 25 pupils, which has resulted in the lowest pupil-teacher ratio ever at primary school. Budget 2022 further improved the staffing schedule by one point, which will bring the staffing schedule to a new historical low of one teacher for every 24 pupils in September 2022. This builds on measures in previous budgets, which have seen improvements in the overall allocation of teaching posts and specific targeted measures for small and isolated schools, as well as primary schools on our islands. Additionally, in August 2021, the Minister launched the small schools clusters action research project, an innovative research project which aims to encourage small schools in a number of clusters to collaborate and identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions. The Minister hopes the learning from this project will help inform the policy approach to supporting small schools.
In respect of school closures or amalgamations, the decision-making authority belongs to the patron of the school. Any proposal to close or amalgamate a school must involve consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders - parents, teachers, students and local communities - and follow decisions taken at local level. Such proposals must then be agreed with the Department. The Department has no record of a formal request to approve the closure of Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde. Furthermore, the Department has been given to understand that the patron has not made any decision regarding the closure of the school. While there has been no contact between the school authority and the Department regarding the closure of the school, the Department has received an inquiry from the school authority regarding the process for school amalgamations. I can also confirm that Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde retains its status with the Department and is participating in the Gaeltacht school recognition scheme, which provides all schools in Gaeltacht language planning areas with the opportunity to achieve recognition as Gaeltacht schools through the implementation of language-based criteria.
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for the clarity of his response. I note that the Department has no record of a formal request to approve the closure of the school. That begs the question of whether an informal request was made. What contact was there between the Department and the school? Do I take it at face value that there was absolutely no contact in relation to a request to approve the closure of the school, and that permission must be granted by the Department, even though the Department is not running the school?
The Minister of State confirmed that the Department received an inquiry from the school authority regarding the process for school amalgamations. When was that inquiry received? The fact that this school is in the process of getting recognition within the policy, which is excellent, is most important. I also stress the importance of the school to the area, which I will not repeat in my limited time.
I must comment on the strangeness of the fact that an announcement was made on the airwaves and we became aware of the issue that way. Subsequently, there was a public meeting because of the sense of outrage in the community that the school was being closed in this manner. Yet, the Department was unaware of it, obviously through no fault of its own. The Minister of State mentioned official contact and inquiries. When was the Department put on notice that this school intended to make an announcement that it was closing? If the Department was not aware of it and permission has to be granted, what is the Department's view of a school board of management behaving in such a manner and making an announcement about an all-Irish school that is in the process of seeking recognition and is so vital to the community?
The Minister of State has started off well. I acknowledge that he has given me a clear answer. Sometimes we do not get clear answers. I ask him to go into the finer details. What is the Department's next step in relation to this school, given the importance of it to the area?
Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Obviously, as I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education, I will ensure that the Minister is made aware of the questions the Deputy has raised. To reiterate the key point, as indicated, the decision-making authority for school closures or amalgamations is the school patron. No request for the approval of the closure of Scoil Náisiúnta Bhríde has been received by the Department. That is all I can clarify for the Deputy regarding the matter. The additional points raised by the Deputy will be brought to the attention of the Minister.