Schoolchildren ‘will be turned away’

THE Department of Education has acknowledged that up to 64 additional second-level classrooms will have to be built in the next five years to provide for a major population explosion adjacent to the Cork-Midleton railway line.

Earlier this week, before Batt O’Keeffe was transferred to the new Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Department, the ex-education minister said he was taking “decisive steps” to address the situation.

However, Deputy David Stanton said unless the Department of Education acts with “urgency” many pupils face being turned away from secondary schools in Midleton and Carrigtwohill.

Figures show the department’s own projections are that 114 new primary school classrooms will be needed by 2020 to cater for 2,750 children.

“As many as 64 new secondary school classrooms are needed in the east Cork area in just five years’ time. A total of 1,863 new secondary school places will be needed by 2020. This will require two new schools as secondary schools catering for a maximum of 1,000 pupils each,” the Fine Gael TD said.

He said that planning, tendering and construction of new schools was notoriously slow.

“For example, more than half of the 78 school projects due for construction in 2009 haven’t even begun construction. The number of new classrooms built dropped by 40% last year. The department must begin work immediately on new secondary schools in east Cork, otherwise many children will be turned away as existing secondary schools are all full,” he said.

Five secondary schools in Midleton and Carrigtwohill are all full this year.

“In fact, they have been operating at almost full capacity for a number of years. All these schools have had extensions and additional accommodation applications lodged with the Department of Education for a number of years, but no funding has been allocated. I am very concerned these schools will simply not be able to offer all students a place in September this year,” Mr Stanton said.

“Despite reviews of current primary and secondary school provision and place availability and regular contact with the planning unit in Cork County Council, no action is being taken by the department. Nothing is being done to ensure future school demand will be met,” he said.

The department said it is using digital image technology – Geographical Information System – which processes population-related data to show precisely where schools will be needed.

Mr O’Keeffe, meanwhile, had acknowledged that the Midleton area had undergone dramatic population growth over the past decade. He added that targeted investments in school buildings “will be needed in specific pressure points areas over the coming years”.