Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all know the legacy of certain religious institutions in the context of sex abuse and the fact that, to a large extent, they have not paid their dues in terms of the liabilities to the individuals damaged by their activities. That has manifested in a number of ways, and there is a larger issue I do not propose to discuss, but I will address an issue relating to a school in my area, Clonkeen College, which is just a couple of hundred metres away from where I grew up. It has suffered particularly as a result of the Christian Brothers' decision to sell the lands associated with the school for development rather than leaving them as playing pitches. They do this purportedly to provide compensation, whereas I believe it is a sop to allow them to sell off that land rather than taking the hit for what they owe. Whatever about that, now a large boys' secondary school in the Deansgrange-Blackrock area has lost its playing pitches, and this week we find that the governing body of the school has decided that it will not reappoint the board of management, which includes parents, and instead will appoint a single manager to manage the school. In two foul strokes they have cut parents out of the deal entirely and cut down the school community to a single functionary who will run the school. I am astonished that this is permissible in the first place, but it appears that it is under a statutory instrument from the late 1990s. It is not right. Parents are an incredibly important part of the school community. The notion that they should be cut out of management, out of the board and out of decision-making is absolutely wrong. It is incumbent on the Government, particularly the Minister for Education, to take steps to ensure that this cannot happen. It should not happen. Schools are not companies; they are communities. They need the involvement of every part of the community: parents, children, teachers - everyone.