O’Keeffe slams Government over shortfall in secondary school places
THE Fianna Fail TD for Cork East, Kevin O’Keeffe, has slammed the current Government’s failure to ensure there are enough secondary school places to cater for increased demand.
Deputy O’Keeffe said he had been contacted by numerous parents in recent weeks, expressing concern about problems faced while trying to enrol their children into local schools.
He has written to the Department of Education and Skills seeking that “urgent action” be taken to address the issue, which he said should never have been allowed to get to this stage in the first place.
Deputy O’Keeffe said it had been obvious for years that the growing population would result in significant year-on-year increases in the number of students seeking to enrol at their local post-primary schools.
“While this is a lot more diversity and choice in our education system, which is to be welcomed, many of our schools simply do have the space of resources to deal with demands for places,” said Deputy O’Keeffe.
“As a result, the one choice that many students are denied is that of attending the secondary school they want, or indeed any school in their locality.”
Deputy O’Keeffe said this was not a problem solely confined to his own Cork East constituency.
“This is a national issue, with schools in towns across the country finding themselves oversubscribed. While there is, in many instances, a reserved list, this is no consolation to parents and the students who have to wait to find out if they have been accepted into the school of their choice,” said Deputy O’Keeffe.
He said this was an issue that should have been foreseen by Government and that a comprehensive plan of action to address the problem should have already been put in place.
“This needs to be addressed now, not in August when there is already enough pressure on students who are heading into a new chapter in their lives,” said Deputy O’Keeffe. “Not being able to attend a school of their choice in their own locality can be very upsetting for students and their families. With this in mind, I am calling on Education Minister Joe McHugh to take urgent action to address this problem and give support to these students at a very important time of their young lives”.