Daly Marks another year on empty school site

Education planning in Kildare is a scandal


Fine Gael Kildare South General Election candidate, Cllr Richard Daly, who is principal of Athy Community College, will today (Friday) mark the failure of the Department of Education to commence work on a new Community College for Athy by once again holding an outdoor civics class on the site of the proposed college.

“It is six years since Taoiseach Bertie Ahern planted a tree on the site of a proposed new Community College for Athy, when he promised speedy delivery.

“Once more, I am taking a class on this empty, greenfield site to highlight the frustration caused to pupils, parents and teachers by the Government’s failure to build the long-promised new Athy Community College,” said Cllr Daly

“Last year, I held an outdoor class on this site to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the failure to advance this project since the Taoiseach’s promise.

“The project was first promised by the Department of Education seven years ago. Following our protest last year the Department initiated a planning process and a meeting took place between interested parties and the Taoiseach.

“It will now be September, 2008 before Athy Community College is completed.

“The delay in building a new Athy Community College is an example of the ineptitude and out-dated methods which exist in the Department of Education.

“It will take nine years for this project, which was to be fast-tracked, to reach completion.

“Is it any wonder there are parts of Kildare with no school places available whatsoever?

“The Department is seriously in arrears in its building programme, but is not spending its annual budget.

“Towns and villages all over the county are awaiting primary schools which should have been constructed years ago.

“In Newbridge, there are no longer any remaining primary school places despite the fact that the Department was aware of an impending crisis some years ago.

“It appears that crisis stage has to be reached before the Minister for Education realises the obvious.

“I wonder how many other school principals will be forced to take similar drastic action to advance building programmes which lag behind population growth?” asked Cllr Daly.