SCHOOL FED UP OF BROKEN PROMISES
ANSWERS DEMANDED ON ST PATRICK’S SPECIAL SCHOOL
WHILE the calendar may have changed to 2018, very little seems to have changed at St Patrick’s Special School in Enniscorthy. The school, which caters for over 130 students, 22 teachers and 46 SNAs is still split over two campuses.
The cramped conditions are completely unfit for purpose. The school suffers from problems with damp and mould, the prefab classrooms are in a poor state and the children are forced to play in the car-park when cars and buses are not turning there.
In fact, the only thing that has changed at the school is the sign posted outside by Principal Lee Rodgers which counts the days since contstruction was meant to begin on their new state of the art school at Drumgoold - now reading 723.
Fianna Fáil TD James Browne called for a special debate on the matter in the Dáil on Wednesday and informed Minsiter of State for Education and Skills John Halligan of how desperate the situation is.
‘ This school services the entire county,’ Deputy Browne told the Minister. ‘It’s split between two campuses and logistically, it’s a nightmare. To say it’s dilapidated is an understatement. The parents, students and teachers there have been promised and promised and promised they would have a new school built. They were told it would start in 2016 and it has suffered delay after delay. All they’re getting is promises and the school still hasn’t even gone to tender. The teachers there are doing fantastic work in an impossible situation.’
Minister Halligan responded by saying that he had been told that the pre-qualification process to select contractors was now nearing completion and once this was given the green light, the project could proceed to tender stage. He said normally this takes four to six months, but he expected that the matter would progress this year.
‘ These people are fed up of broken promises,’ Deputy Browne replied. ‘ They were promised it would start in 2016, then this went to 2017, then they were told June 2018 and now it seems like it could be the end of the year before anything happens. I’m not sure the people at the school will be satisfied with that answer Minister.’
Principal at the School Lee Rodgers says that both James Browne and Minister Paul Kehoe have been extremely active in trying to get the school build over the line and he has been assured that they are nearing the final hurdle.
‘I have a letter which states that the pre-tender qualification is nearly finished,’ he said. ‘ They’ll then cut it down to around six contractors for it to go to full tender. From there it should take about four to five months, but those contractors who were ruled out are entitled to appeal so that could delay it by another couple of months. All we can do is keep the pressure on. I would hope that we’ll have a spade in the ground this summer, but at the latest I would hope Autumn.’