‘Urgent action’ needed to open schools next week

PARENTS will still be unsure on Sunday if schools can open next week unless the Government takes urgent action to make roads safe, a teachers’ leader has warned.

About half the country’s 4,000 schools did not reopen after Christmas holidays yesterday morning because of the cold weather and dangerous road conditions. Most schools in Donegal and Kerry stayed shut and hundreds more in various parts of the country also kept their doors closed, either because of problems with heating systems, burst pipes or unsafe roads in rural areas.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said it was known for weeks that an emergency response to the weather would be required but the Government’s inept response made the widespread closure of schools inevitable.

“Roads were left untreated which left school transport unable to function in many parts of the country, and pavements outside schools were left in a lethal condition making it unsafe for them to open,” said INTO incoming general secretary Sheila Nunan.

“Unless urgent action is taken now, on Sunday afternoon thousands of schools will still be wondering if it is safe for children to come back to school next week,” she said.

Bus Éireann said most schools it serves had decided to close yesterday and today and it will only try to provide a school bus service to those schools which open if it is safe to do so.

“Many school bus services, particularly in rural areas, operate on secondary and minor roads to facilitate pupils and their families. Given recent weather conditions, many of these roads are not safe to operate on,” a spokesperson said.

School buses were unable, for example, to serve schools in Oughterard and Athenry in Co Galway, and could only operate on main roads in Limerick and Monaghan yesterday morning. In Co Cork, there were restricted services to Mallow schools and buses were unable to service second-level schools in Coachford, Crosshaven and Carrigaline, or to bring children to schools in the Galtee mountain area near Mitchelstown.

While the Department of Education is asking that all schools which have been forced to remain closed should make all reasonable efforts to make up any lost days during the rest of the year. However parents may have made arrangements based on holiday timetables given to them.

The Irish Vocational Education Association said at least half their schools in every county had to stay shut yesterday and none were able to reopen in some counties.