Pupils were withdrawn from a national school in Co Tipperary yesterday in protest at the poor condition of the school building.
Some 130 children are enrolled at St Kevin's school in Littleton, five miles from Thurles, which has a chronic shortage of accommodation and a leaking roof. It was built more than 40 years ago. Many of the pupils joined their parents for a three-hour picket at the school gates yesterday. The protest followed a one-day strike by the school's teachers a week ago.
The school principal, Mr Christy Clancy, said he received a letter from the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, following the strike which said he was looking into the school's application for additional accommodation. However it did not refer to the school's application to be redesignated as being in a disadvantaged area. This was very disappointing, he said. Schools in disadvantaged areas are allowed a lower pupil/teacher ratio.
Mr Clancy said it was "very regrettable" that children had to be taken out of school to highlight its problems but further protests could not be ruled out until a satisfactory response was received from the Department.
The chairwoman of the parents' council, Ms Therese Clohessy, said the school had been seeking improvements for 20 years and parents had withdrawn their children in frustration at the lack of progress. At a time when so much money was being spent on tribunals, she could not understand why some could not be made available to improve the education facilities for their school children.
The Department of Education said it was committed to improving the school's accommodation.