Vermin, rotting windows, overcrowding. These are some of the most common features identified by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation in its recent list of 40 sub-standards schools, several of which are in the Galway/Mayo area.
Among those singled out were Barnaderg and Ahascragh NS in east Galway, Ballindine NS on the Galway/Mayo border and Gaelscoil Uileog de Burca in Claremorris.
"Embarrassing", is how INTO general secretary, Senator Joe O'Toole, described it in a statement earlier this month, in which he called for action from the Minister for Education.
If conditions are one issue, teacher numbers are still the major concern in Roscommon, according to Roscommon Partnership. Recently, it undertook a survey of 50 schools in the northeast of the county to identify those in danger of losing a teacher. Of those 50, half confirmed this fear. A further seven schools said they did not feel threatened, but their numbers would suggest that they could lose at least one member of staff shortly.
The survey, conducted as part of a pilot Rural Resettlement Scheme taking place in Co Roscommon, also examined the attendance from 1991 to 1996. In those 25 schools which say they are at risk of losing a teacher, the average drop in attendance was 33 per cent on average. And it was as high as 60 per cent in some school areas. The Roscommon Partnership decided to act. It hopes to place families, through the resettlement scheme, in areas where numbers are an issue. The strategy aims to hold on to precious teaching staff where possible.
The Roscommon Partnership will engage in another piece of research, the results of which should be available shortly. It has interviewed more than 250 small farmers, and preliminary findings are "shocking", according to the manager, Ms Patricia Murphy-Byrne. They indicate an aged population profile, with little chance of anyone taking over the family farm. Full details are promised early in 1998.
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Readers who wish to contact Lorna Siggins can leave messages by dialling (01) 670-7711, extension 6299.