Comments from schools on Dept of Education's May 'emergency' list.
Charleville NS, Tullamore, Co Offaly: The 200-year-old school has been condemned. Prefabs were put in 30 years ago as a temporary solution. The school received funds for emergency electrical repair work, completed in January at a cost of €3,000. A new school was promised in 1998 but the school was never told when this would materialise. The school has a site, planning permission and fire safety certificates. Ms Olga Farrell, principal of the school, said: "It's a case of playing the waiting game."
Scoil Coimhin, Oughterard, Co. Galway: Roof on 63-year-old school fell in on a teacher and is constantly being repaired. Waiting nearly six years for a new roof. Puddles in the halls. Got electrical sockets at Christmas under minor works grant. No space for resource teachers, library or computer room. Woodworm rampant.
Gallbhaile NS, Galbally, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford: Pupils have not been able to drink the water for the past 10-15 years as it is contaminated. The Government has been paying for Ballygowan. Has been approved funding to sink a well and is awaiting consultant's report.
Lettergesh NS, Renvyle: Principal Ms Mandy Conboy was promised, in September 2002, a playing field, new toilets in classrooms, new windows and doors, a larger portacabin for the resource teacher, a new heating system and rewiring. All of this has now been taken away except for the heating system. No circuit breakers on the old fuse board which school cannot afford to replace.
An Cloiginn, Cleggan, Co. Galway: Outdoor toilets, no space for resource teacher, asbestos in the ceiling. Has been granted €40,000, which is €30,000 short of what is needed.
Silvermines NS, Co. Tipperary: Mr Billy Grace, the principal, spent €70,000 on renovations last year and the Department reimbursed him only €51,000 because work was done without prior approval, although all the work done was agreed as necessary by Department's own engineer. On May list, Mr Grace was told he would be getting another €3,000. "I feel that the DES is deceiving the public - we are now included as an extra school, it looks as if the major works we were seeking were going to be carried out, when in fact we were merely receiving €3,000 for work carried and substantially paid for last year," Mr Grace alleged.
Summercove NS, Kinsale, Co. Cork: Principal Ms Caitlin Uie Liathain says it is a "disgrace" that the school was given permission to buy a site for a badly needed new school, then had it taken away after four years of lobbying. Instead, school is getting drainage and tarmac for the school yard. Was offered a prefab, but could not accept it because the children would then have no playground. The 1963 building has four prefabs and cloakrooms converted for learning support and the school office. Not enough yard space for 135 children and no room for parents to park cars.
Kilconly NS, Co. Kerry: Before Easter, the sewage system leaked onto an adjoining property and this leak was fixed. However, school needs another classroom, a resource room, a staff room, new toilets, a new roof and a new sewage system. Has got planning permission since February 2002 but has no money. "The Department list is just an exercise in cynicism, that's all. . . You just want to scream at somebody - it is beyond a joke, it is crazy," says Ms Anne O Dowd, principal.
Ballinahinch NS, Birdhill, Co. Tipperary: Septic tank leaking for the past year, but funding to fix it was withdrawn last Christmas. Then the €11,000 project appeared on the May list.
Holy Cross NS, Killarney, Co. Kerry: Granted money for wheelchair access, but the play area is unsuitable and unsafe. Applying to Department for money for past four years. Trying to get money through local fundraising.
Bishop Murphy Memorial School, Fermoy: Has been approved for €6,000 to treat wet and dry rot/fungus in order to re-instate an unusable classroom in a school built in 1904.
St James National School, Bantry, Co Cork: The 71-year-old school was added to the list in May and is due to receive funds to fix a leaking roof. Ms Clara McGowan, principal, said she doesn't know why the school is receiving funds for a leaking roof when what they need is a new school promised six years ago after the Southern Health Board condemned it. The girls' cloakroom doubles as the school office, a learning support room, a meeting room and an inoculation room if a doctor has to visit. No running hot water. There are three sinks and only one cold tap can be running at a time. Toilets have no heat or light. Windows don't open or close and a double-glazed door has been installed to keep out rats and mice. No central heating. Instead, storage heaters and three dehumidifiers running constantly. Ms McGowan said: "Noel Dempsey promised he would be transparent but we don't know where we stand. We don't know when we're getting the new school so we can't budget."
Patrician Primary School, Newbridge, Co. Kildare: Huge amount of work needs to be done, but Department is granting only the minimum to bring the electricity system up to healthy and safety standards. School is nearly 90 years old with two extensions, built in the 1960s and 1970s.
St John's Girls and Infant Boys School, Limerick: Scaffolding around the school to prevent stones from walls falling on children's heads. Pipes exposed in 60-year-old school. On the May list because it has already been given €20,000 for emergency repairs to heating and roof. Needs €1.9 million for a new school, but doesn't expect to get it. "Our name was put on to bump up the list," claimed principal Ms Margaret O Gorman. "That's definitely misleading. I was disappointed when I heard that was all we were getting. It's a sticking plaster job."
St Safan's National School, Castlefin, Co Donegal: The school was promised funding for health and safety refurbishments to provide a disabled toilet for a wheelchair user who has been in the school for four years. Any time the boy needs to go to the toilet his father has to come down to the school and bring him home.
Ballyferriter National School, Cork: Ballyferriter is an autistic unit and has been waiting three years for a new room that was finally promised in January.
Sallins National School, Sallins, Co Kildare: The school will receive funds for electrical repair work but the school needs and extension. Mr Peadar Cunningham, principal of the school, said: "At the moment we have 14 classrooms - nine permanent, four prefabs and one portacabin to which we are adding two more, but we will need two more on top of that just to maintain the status quo for 2004 into 2005. Our problem is not going away it's only 'fire brigading' the problem."
St Joseph's NS, Skibbereen, Co. Cork: Is on the May list for mechanical and electrical work, but a school spokesperson said the school desperately requires an extension for special classes, the need for which is "very serious".
Rushbrook NS, Cobh, Co. Cork: Waiting for a €1.5 million building project. School paid €10,000 to refurbish a prefab and this money is now being refunded by the Department, which is why it is on the May list.
Churchtown NS, Mallow: Principal Mr Gerard Linehan saw his school's name on the May list, and was hoping he had got approval for a room for the resource teacher. Was actually listed for a disabled toilet that was approved in February.
Scoil Mhuire, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal: Funding for a new boiler hasn't gone through, but there will be a fence to keep children safe from traffic.
Ballyroan BNS, Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin: "Pathetic" situation, says principal Mr Gerry O'Brien. Pupils and teachers have to walk through the yard in the rain to get from one classroom to the next because there is no corridor. No fire escapes, no ensuite toilets. Waiting since 1997 for a new school, but had to settle for replacing rotten windows and doors. A health and safety/fire assessment has condemned school as inadequate. No room for new teachers, so special needs pupils have to be taught in the classroom surrounded by other children.
St Joseph's BNS, Terenure. Co. Dublin: Principal Mr Matt Hume thinks it's "disgraceful" that 60 children who need resource teaching have to be taught in the corridors. May list sanctioned the school for temporary rented prefabs come September.
Loreto NS Crumlin, Dublin: Listed in May for completion of work on prefabs which was done last year. "I think the May list is a fabrication, to tell you the truth," said a school spokesperson.
CBS, Francis St, Dublin: Listed in May for emergency grant aid given last February because school had no water. Water had to be delivered by the fire brigade. "To see this on the DES website as a building project is misleading, because it refers to work done before May 19th," says Ms Patricia Slevin, principal.
Catherine McAuley Special School: Wiring and heating needs to be refurbished, but only got 3,000 for emergency repair work earlier this year when heating broke down.