Date: 4 November 2020
Green Party TD for Wicklow and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Steven Matthews raised the ongoing issues facing Greystones Community National School and Greystones Community College in Dáil Éireann during topical issues today. Speaking after engaging with Minister for Education, Norma Foley, on the matter, Deputy Matthews said:
“We have a situation where the national school is still based in temporary prefabs in the grounds of Greystones Rugby Club where it has been for five years and worse again, the brand new secondary school, Greystones Community College, that took in their first students in August and have been based in Greystones Tennis Club since they opened. It is totally unacceptable for students at any level to have to put up with this inappropriate accommodation but both clubs should be acknowledged for assisting the schools.
“There is a brand-new national school building that sits empty due to ongoing issues that need to be resolved between the Department of Education and the building contractor. This building had been due to temporarily house both schools this year and until the Community School had its own building at Charlesland which also has no timeframe for completion.
“I have written a series of letters and parliamentary questions to the Department of Education since the summer and the schools have been offered little or no assurances since then. Both management and parents from the two schools have written to me on a regular basis as they have been unable to get any timeline for progress and feel frustrated and let down by the Department.
“I have asked that senior officials in the Department of Education meet with the building contractor immediately to provide a timeline and solutions to opening this school to give students a proper place to continue their education as soon as possible.
“I asked a series of questions to Minister Foley this afternoon and found her responses to be quite vague and frustrating. Schools across Ireland have faced unprecedented uncertainty since March and the lack of assurances offered to the students, parents and staff of these schools is not fair. At the heart of this we have students and staff who are putting up with totally unacceptable accommodation. I will continue to call on the Minister to ask her Department to address this issue urgently for these school communities. The current position is not sustainable and has serious impact on the students, teachers and parents and knock on effects in terms of planning, subject choices and educational development, concluded Deputy Matthews.
Comments