BRENDAN M. REDMOND,
Madam, - The freezing of the primary schools' building programme because of financial constraints is a national disgrace.
I had occasion to write about this earlier this year when our beloved Taoiseach was pushing to have his sports stadium built, while children in schools throughout the country, but particularly in remote rural areas, were being educated in rat infested, rain sodden and ramshackle buildings. And generations before them have been similarly treated.
One could begin to understand the reason for this in the past when there was little or no growth in the economy. But there is no excuse for the neglect during the boom years of the Celtic Tiger. I am puzzled why this dreadful situation has not caused a national outcry. I find it paradoxical that third-level fees were done away with and at the same time primary education was denied funding. Surely, it is more important to get the foundation right before tackling the roof. The children may have no protest vote, but one has to ask what the teachers' unions are doing about this state of affairs. If this were an industrial situation the workers' trade unions would be out protesting at their members being asked to work in squalor and would refuse to return to work until the matter was put right.
Perhaps the teachers' unions are preoccupied with benchmarking and payment for supervision. What's a little discomfort if the cash is right? Pity, though, about the kids! - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN M. REDMOND, Hazelbrook Road, Dublin 6W.