OVER 500 children and parents marched on Dáil Éireann last week in protest over a delay to a long-promised school building for St Mochta’s in Clonsilla.
The crowd largely made their way from Dublin 15 by train, with Irish Rail adding additional carriages to cater for the massive number of protestors, while others travelled by car and bus.
The school has needed a new building for over a decade after it responded to a Department of Education request in 2006 to expand its enrolment to cater for the growing population in the Dublin 15 area.
Parents say they were led to believe a fast-tracked new school would follow, but it wasn’t until last November that the project finally got the go-ahead, much to the delight of everyone connected with St Mochta’s.
However, the joy was soured recently when parents learned that the rebuild is being postponed untill next year at earliest, with no guarantee it will go ahead then.
Parents say with all the additional pupils now being catered for, the school campus is no longer fit for purpose and they recently began a campaign under the banner, St Mochta’s School Build Action Group (BAG), calling for their new school to be constructed.
After weeks of venting online a public meeting was called and their frustration spilled out onto the streets last week when they marched on the Dáil.
Those at the protest called on Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, to confirm that the funding to build the school would be released after the upcoming budget.
They say they’re fed-up with the conditions children and teachers are forced to work and learn in, claiming buckets are often left out to catch water from leaks and some are forced to wear coats because of the cold in winter.
Parent Jean Rogers was one of last week’s protestors frustrated over conditions at St Mochta’s.
“My second child developed terrible dust allergies shortly after entering St Mochta’s and ultimately had to move to a different school,” she said.
“My older boy was too distraught to leave his friends, so I now have to travel between two schools. I still feel some guilt at moving my son, but felt I had no choice.”
Jean’s eldest son was just two-years-old in 2006 when St Mochta’s was promised the new building .
“He is now in sixth class, aged 12,” the mother added. “I feel terribly let down.”
Another parent at the protest, Tara Kelly, said ‘enough was enough’.
“we have a wonderful teaching staff that put our children first and we expect the same from our Government,” she added.
“It has come to a situation where health and safety is a concern and the responsibility to address these third world conditions is not being taken seriously.”
Local TDs have been raising the issue in the Dáil recently, and Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, has admitted there is pressure on schools due to the growing number of pupils at both primary and secondary level nationwide.
“The Department has always practised a policy of having projects ready to go in order that any available money is fully utilised in any year,” the minister said in response to a question from Dublin West Labour TD, Joan Bruton.
“That is the current situation. There are projects we could release if we were in a position to obtain funding and we have always taken that approach.
“The process is proceeding although, as Deputy Burton said, not every project gets approval as soon as it might like. Nonetheless, we are using the funds very efficiently and effectively.”
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Pascal Donohue, denied the project was being long-fingered.
“It is not a case of any project being long-fingered,” he said.
“We have a pipeline of projects coming through and we have to match that with the resources available at any point in time.
