Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, to the House.

I recently received correspondence from the chairperson of the board of management of Glenswilly national school, Letterkenny, County Donegal, regarding its attempts to secure an extension to the school building. I hope the Minister is also aware of the representations made by the school's principal because it is an ongoing issue. The principal has written to the Department of Education and Science seeking to change the school's name. The exact name the school has proposed is, "Seeking An Extension Since 1992, Glenswilly National School". It is not facetious but a genuine attempt to highlight the need for extra classrooms. There is nothing underhand about this. The school only wants to highlight the lack of space in the building.

Glenswilly, the general catchment area for the school, is a satellite area of Letterkenny which has experienced much development in recent years. As a result, more young people are growing up in the area, a similar experience to many other areas. There are 226 pupils at the school and next year it is envisaged there will be 235 pupils. The school-going population has risen but the school building remains the same size.

On Monday evening, along with my colleague Councillor Noel McBride, I was shown around the school by the principal. The general purpose room is actually used as a staff room to accommodate the teachers on their breaks. The caretaker also uses the room for storing his tools, which raises health and safety concerns. It also prevents proper physical education classes from being held. There is only one toilet to accommodate 18 members of staff. The school has no secretary because there is no space for an office to accommodate one. The extra rooms are necessary to create a proper learning environment. It is not healthy when educational activity is confined into such limited space.

The school buildings are in excellent condition due to the thorough work carried out by its excellent caretaker. The teachers themselves were involved in painting it two years ago. Although it is in excellent condition, its lack of space is the main problem.

The positive side to this issue is that as more young people live in the area, the more vibrant the community will become. This vibrant community has decided to stand up for itself and believes the time has come for action. The solution must be long term, not short term.

I emphasise the importance of the need for more rooms in the school. The Department of Education and Science has identified the need for 12 classrooms. I ask the Minister for Education and Science to directly intervene to expedite the resolution of this situation. I am delighted she attended the Chamber this evening and I look forward to her response.