Hopes high for future of primary school
A North Galway primary school, which has been waiting 17 years for a new facility, is hopeful that it will make the next building list to be announced shortly.
A site has been purchased, planning permission has been granted – and the only part of the equation left for Cahergal National School near Tuam is to get the green light to go to tender.
In the meantime, pupils are still using the original desks from the 50s, despite many promises that a new facility would be provided.
Credit has been paid to the principal and staff at the school for delivering a high standard of education in very difficult conditions.
This issue of the provision of a new school in Cahergal has again been raised by Cllr Sean Canney who described as “a disgrace” the fact that no new building had been provided.
He said that within the next couple of weeks the new Department of Education building programme will be announced and he has put pressure on to ensure that Cahergal is on the list.
“There is a 17 year campaign with many unfulfilled political promises by successive governments and yet no new school is on the building programme.
“Design teams, professional fees and thousands of letters have been expended but no school has been built,” Cllr. Canney added.
He said that the principal, Sally Flynn, and her staff in this four teacher school were expected to continue to deliver first class education to their students – despite sub-standard conditions.
“They still use the original desks. It is a credit to the staff that the school achieves such high standards nationally in numeracy and literacy.
“Many of the classrooms are prefabs which were deemed to be unsafe and unsuitable and yet nothing is done to alleviate this situation.
“There is no facility to provide active learning and there is no general purpose room, library or support rooms which are deemed to be the norm in the modern education system.
“The Board of Management and parents have been campaigning since 1998 and to date the school is not on any building programme,” Cllr Canney added.