Dempsey will force schools to take students

EDUCATION Minister Noel Dempsey has said he will force secondary schools to enrol students being denied access to classes.

His warning came amid accusations from a teachers’ union leader that the Department of Education failed to act sufficiently on an admissions crisis in Limerick of which they were made aware at least six months ago.

Ahead of day-long meetings with schools, parents and public representatives to address the situation, which has left 16 children without a second-level school place in the city, Mr Dempsey said he will not hesitate to use legal powers available to him to ensure entry to school for all students.

Most of the affected pupils are from disadvantaged areas of the city, and half of them finished primary school in June of last year. Under the Education Act, schools can introduce admission policies but are not permitted to discriminate on grounds such as exam results or students’ social backgrounds.

“I’m certainly willing to consult with people in Limerick to reach an agreement which will ensure every student gets an opportunity to attend secondary school,” Mr Dempsey said.

Asked whether schools can be directed to enrol students, Mr Dempsey told RTÉ radio’s This Week programme he is prepared to bring in regulations if agreement is not reached.

“There’s a provision under the act which will allow me to do that. It hasn’t been found necessary before to bring in such regulations but if progress is not made, it’s an option open to me and I won’t hesitate to use it,” he said.

The minister said he was aware of similar problems in Galway and Cork last year but not to the same extent as Limerick.

“People from disadvantaged areas in Cork said they were being discriminated against but it has never arisen that people were excluded from schools to the same way as in Limerick,” Mr Dempsey said.

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) president Susie Hall said Mr Dempsey’s visit to the city has come too late. She said officials from his department were made aware of the situation at a meeting in the city last March.

“If this is an indication of the speed at which they’re going to act, I’m not encouraged. I hope the minister won’t be going down to Limerick again next year to see what the problems are,” she said.

“That time is irretrievably lost for those children. If a child is not accepted in a second-level school before the summer, bells should be ringing in the Department of Education to do something during the summer months,” Ms Hall said.

Mr Dempsey said he looked forward to support from the union in any action that has to be taken to ensure the situation does not recur.

“As soon as the issue came to light, steps were taken to rectify the problem. One of the steps taken involved the independent appeals process available to parents and we could not interfere with that. In the interim, the vast majority of students have been placed and steps are continuing to be taken to place the remaining students,” a Department of Education spokesperson said.