Despite the welcome provision of an extra class by the Minister for Education following a public campaign by parents, Deputy Joan Burton and local newspapers, this class will now only provide places for children born before the 31st of March, 2002. This means that at present children born in April will not get a place in the school to the great distress of the parents.
“I’m particularly concerned about the plight of parents who already have children in the school but got no warning that the school would be unable to accommodate them” said Deputy Burton.
“Last week in the Dail, the Minister for Education and her Deputy Sile DeValera, who is responsible for school transport, had the gall to attack me for raising the plight of parents whose children have no school places. It’s time that the Ministers came out and met parents rather than staying in cloud Cuckoo-land of the Department of Education completely oblivious to the continuing school places crisis in Dublin 15. Were it not for the excellent teachers principals and managers in our local schools in Dublin 15, the situation would be even more chaotic than it has been this year.”
“I’m calling on the Minister again to do the sensible thing, to sit down with principals, Council Officials, Boards of Management and Patrons, to plan comprehensively for future school needs in the area.”
“Recently Minister of State Brian Lenihan has been complaining about double bookings. If this is so then the Minister for Education has a direct personal responsibility to sort out this issue. Obviously, anyone who has booked a place in a school such as St. Ciaran’s but, as the Minister is suggesting, may have already accepted a place elsewhere is under a moral obligation to the community and to the children without places to advise the school immediately if that situation exists. Equally it is possible for the Department of Education to find out from a round table conference of principals if this is actually going on or if this is another urban myth excuse developed by Fianna Fail to excuse their inaction on education in the Dublin 15 area.”
“So far this year we have had five crises of accommodation in schools in Dublin 15 since last March. It is clear that there is a need for a complete rethink by the Department of Education in relation to the provision of schools for the area. Recently on foot of government orders, An Bord Pleanala gave approval for another 3,000 homes at Hansfield, behind St. Joseph’s Hospital and Clonsilla Railway station. There are two sites earmarked on that site for primary schools. I want to to ask the Minister has the Department of Education or Local Authority actually acquired these sites? Otherwise when these houses come to be occupied we will go through the same crisis over and over again. Only long range provision of schools will solve Dublin 15’s crisis.”
“I am aware that the Minister represents an area in South County Dublin where demand for school places is in decline so I realise that it is difficult for her to understand the situation in Dublin 15. She has to come out and talk to parents and see the distress that they are going through at the moment. We need plans put in place now to avoid a repeat of this year’s chaos next year.
Currently many parents in the Hartstown area are extremely concerned about what will happen to school places next year in St. Ciaran’s, particularly those that have a child born between February and June. These children would up to now normally have a school place but on this years policy it would seem as though the Department of Education has put that in doubt.