by Kathy Masterson
OPINIONS among local representatives remain divided over whether or not there is a need for a new secondary school in Mungret, following a recent €3 million boost for the Mungret College site in the council budget.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education is currently carrying out research to determine which areas of the country will be most in need of additional secondary schools post-2016.
Limerick City West councillor James Collins believes that the need for additional secondary school places for Dooradoyle, Raheen, Mungret and surrounding areas “is glaringly obvious”.
“Local education providers agree fully with this growing need. Local schools are greatly oversubscribed,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil councillor continued: “Studies and analysis of Limerick secondary schools have been ongoing for a considerable time now. Meanwhile some of Limerick’s secondary schools have indicated their decision to close or amalgamate.
“Now, more than ever, Limerick’s Labour Minister for Education must sanction a school at the site provided by local councillors at Mungret College. Minister O’Sullivan has recently acted on my view for the need for new primary school places in the area. She must now act and provide a new secondary school in Mungret.”
However, Adare-Rathkeale councillor Emmett O’Brien (IND) disagrees.
“Schools are shutting down in the city centre; you have St Enda’s and Scoil Carmel closing down, and the Salesians and St Nessan’s amalgamating, then on the other hand you have this proposal to build a new school on the outskirts of the city.”
Cllr O’Brien also pointed out that there has been “ongoing deadlock” with regard to plans to provide a new secondary school in Croom, which he says is urgently needed.
He concluded: “In Croom you have students being taught out in prefabs. There needs to be progress now on getting them into a proper school rather than building a new school in Mungret.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told the Limerick Post that work is now underway on its next nationwide five-year construction plan for primary and secondary schools.
The spokesperson explained: “A nationwide demographic exercise is again being carried out to see where we need more primary provision post 2015 and more post-primary provision post 2016.
This is a significant exercise that involves identifying areas where there is a substantial increase in the child birth rate and, consequently, growing demands for both primary and post primary school places. The capacity of existing schools to meet this growing demand has to be examined for all areas of the country.”
