Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to see the Minister of State and that she is taking this Commencement matter. St. Angela’s College in Sligo is the only home economics college in the country and the need for capital funding for larger capacity classrooms-laboratories to accommodate students has never been greater. A national shortage of home economics teachers and a much more health conscious population is making this discipline more attractive than ever. In 2017, the number enrolling at St. Angela’s College rose by about 20%, from 85 to 101, with another 10% increase in the intake last September.

Although established as a college of education for home economics teachers, St. Angela’s College has expanded far beyond its original remit and currently its profile of academic programmes of study also includes nursing and health studies, education, special needs education, theology, food and consumer studies, science, Irish, economics and social studies. The current number of students attending the college is more than 1,000.

With this significant increase in the number of students, there is clearly a pressing need to replace all the modular buildings, which currently comprise 30% of existing teaching space. Some of these buildings are more than 12 years old.Therefore, significant investment is needed for more buildings, larger lecture halls and increased specialist facilities.

Funding in the region of €4.3 million was approved for a link building project in 2010 but, unfortunately, in light of the recession, all capital funding was withdrawn. The link building project was aimed at providing a modern infrastructure with additional space for student activities. In 2017, the college received €340,000 in capital funding for infrastructural upgrades but apart from this and summer works funding for the annual maintenance of existing buildings, I understand no major capital funding has been allocated to the Sligo campus in more than a decade.

In an article in The Irish Times last year, Amanda McCloat, head of home economics at the college, made the very pertinent point that at a time of increasing obesity, the subject of home economics is more important now than ever. In the interview for that article Ms McCloat stated:

People are much more concerned about life skills now, more health conscious and health aware. They understand the components to have a better lifestyle, and one of the only places all of those components are taught is home economics.

In light of everything I have said, I ask the Minister of State to consider the pressing need for significant capital funding for St. Angela’s.