Parents protest at state of school

PARENTS of students forced to attend a dilapidated Co Limerick school have protested outside the offices of the politician who promised them a new building last year.

Up to 100 parents and teachers from St Nessens Primary School in Mungret, marched on Junior Minister Willie O’Dea’s Limerick office at the weekend.

The protest came just days after the roof of a school prefab fell in on students.

Dozens of students had a lucky escape when the roof collapsed and the Office of Public Work (OPW) is investigating the incident.

Minister O’Dea agreed to set up a formal meeting between the protestors and Education Minister Noel Dempsey after talking with parents on Saturday.

St Nessens was promised a new school in the lead up to the last election.

Parents were assured by Limerick based junior ministers, Willie O’Dea and Tim O’Malley that five new class rooms would be built at the 730 student school.

This work is part of €2.15m project to replace old prefabs with classrooms. Denise King, Chairwoman of the school’s parents council said the council urgently wants to meet Minister Dempsey.

“We’re livid about what happened and Minister O’Dea said that he’d work to set up a formal meeting with the Minister for Education. That’s what we’re aiming for at the moment,” she said.

Ms King insisted that St Nessens has been waiting more than five years for funding.

Tánaiste Mary Harney said last Friday that the Government will pay for emergency repairs at the school, but she added there was no guarantee that a new school would be built there soon.