Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming into the House to take this Commencement matter. The nub of what I want to raise is the importance of introducing a parents charter and to ask when we can expect it and when this new section 28 can be brought in to the school admissions policy.

Recently, I became aware of numerous cases of people having problems trying to get in contact with their child's school to raise an issue. In terms of the current process, as the Minister, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, will know well, the Department's website asks if the parent has contacted the Department of Education and Skills, which many parents think they should do, but the Department of Education and Skills, despite being funders of education, has no role at all. Schools are running themselves under the board of management. I believe there is a much greater need for parents to be involved in the running of the school so that when they do have an issue, it can be dealt with effectively.

I was made aware of a case recently where an issue was brought to the attention of the principal, was ignored for seven months and was only responded to when the parents in question contacted the chairperson of the board of management. They were then informed that if they had a complaint they should write to the secretary of the board of management. The secretary of the board of management and the principal are one and the same person. The parents did that. They were first told that all letters were only opened at a board of management meeting and that the secretary was not aware of it. However, it now turns out that it was the secretary who opened the letter and who was present while the decision was taken on the course of action that would be taken to address the parent's complaint, and it was the principal who contacted the parents. These parents were concerned that it is very much a one-sided process. Despite the school saying it is open and transparent, the parents were not present in the school when it was discussed but the principal was present. There is no recourse for a parent to get somewhere with a genuine concern. In addition, if one checks with someone in the Department of Education and Skills they will say the trustees should be contacted. The trustee in most of our voluntary secondary schools is the bishop or the organisation. If someone contacts the bishop, the bishop will say they will now contact the chair of the board of management, but that is the person about whom the complaint is being made. It is totally up to them.

In the four years I have been a Member of this House I have been contacted by numerous people who have had difficulties in getting school principals to return calls or answer letters. It is wrong for a principal in a school to ignore a letter for seven months and only respond when this parent took the matter to the chair of the board, even though the chair of the board referred it back to the secretary, who is the principal. There is an urgent need to ensure the parents charter is incorporated in the school admissions Bill and have this process in place because parents are under the misguided belief that it is the Department of Education and Skills they should contact when the Department, as far as I can see, has no role in the matter. I raise this Commencement matter so that concerns of parents can be addressed and that schools are held accountable for complaints procedures or concerns parents may wish to raise.