Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I understand he is not responsible for this matter but I appreciate his ear and I am sure he will take the message back to the Minister for Education in this regard.

Gaelscoileanna are the cornerstone of the spoken Irish language community in Ireland and against all odds have seen a welcome growth in our communities.Gaelscoil de hÍde, Ros Comáin, is one such school that has seen a surge in enrolment since first opening its doors 22 years ago. It was founded through the desire of parents and teachers for children to attend a Gaelscoil and to promote the spoken Irish language in our community. Its principal, Orla Ní Chuinneagáin, and her team of dedicated teachers and staff have continued a strong history of Irish language and culture in County Roscommon. Education through the Irish language in the county is now represented solely by Gaelscoil de hÍde, which is the last remaining school continuing our history of education through the medium of Irish. Historically, during the Penal Laws of the 17th century, there were more hedge schools in County Roscommon than in any other county in Ireland.

The parents, teachers and students of Gaelscoil de hÍde have long awaited the construction of a new purpose-built school that will reflect both the growth in demand for places and the present-day teaching needs of the primary school curriculum. At present, the school is based in a converted residential building that is limited by non-purpose design, inadequate space and leasing agreements. The good news is that there are plans for a new eight-classroom primary school building for Gaelscoil de hÍde in the Government's large-scale capital programme, as part of a shared education campus for Roscommon town. The parents and teachers would encourage this development, which still is at the planning stage, to move as quickly as possible. It will be hugely beneficial to the students and for education in County Roscommon. I know the Department is committed to dealing with this as quickly as possible but it does not address the current accommodation crisis. A new school is a solution for the future but the children who are completing their primary education at this time are suffering because of inadequate space and the inability to provide all the facilities that are needed, which means they are losing out on part of the curriculum. There must be action immediately to provide the new building. It must not be pushed further into the future while valuable learning opportunities for young people are lost.

In addition, the Government must respond to the present needs of the children attending the school. That is the point I really want to make today. Gaelscoil de hÍde needs two mainstream teachers. There are seven children with special needs, with the current special needs assistant, SNA, allocation working out at 1.5. This is way below what is needed. The allocation is based on the school profile and an average figure for the country. However, it is clear than an allocation of 1.5 is not adequate. More SNAs and more mainstream teachers are needed. I accept that the new campus will be a little way down the road. It can be speeded up as much as possible and it is important that this be done. Right now, however, the school needs extra teaching staff. It would be a pity for the pupils who attend the Gaelscoil, and for those who promote Gaeilge, that they should be left behind in any way in the education system.

I have a number of questions for the Minister of State. Why are Gaelscoileanna students currently in some of the largest classes in Europe? Why are Gaelscoileanna not receiving additional special educational needs support, despite the benefit it offers to students? Why are teacher resources based on only one variable, namely, student enrolment numbers? There are a number of other points that I may refer to in response to the Minister of State.