Urgent need to replace 'antiquated’ primary school

The delay in the provision of a site for St Stephen’s National School in Johnstown came under fire at a meeting of Meath County Council last week, when members heard that the Department of Education had not responded to Meath County Council in four years. Cllr Tommy Reilly described the school’s current conditions as antiquated and spoke of children with disabilities having to be carried upstairs. He asked if Johnstown would become another Laytown. Cllr Reilly pointed out that the council had approached the Department about the site four years ago, but there had been no reply to date. Cllr Shane Cassells said the issue had been kicked from meeting to meeting with no answer. There was a population of 5,000 in that area, with no school and no playground. He pointed out that the new VEC-run primary school in the Navan Rugby Club had a “chicken pen” for a playground and there was no co-ordinated approach to the school situation in Navan. “It is a bloody disgrace,” he said. Cllr Ann Dillon Gallagher said the council needed to sit down with the Department as soon as possible to avoid a similar situation to that which occurred in Laytown. Cllr Catherine Yore said the buck stopped with local TDs who should be lobbying on the county’s behalf. Cllr John Farrelly said that Cllr Reilly and Cassells’ colleague in the Department should be able to do something. Cllr Jim Holloway said councillors were often accused of not doing their jobs in zoning land for schools. “I wish to state that land in Johnstown was zoned for schools eight years ago. In that period of time, the Government and its Department of Education did not follow up on this and build a primary school or a second-level school. Instead, €1.5 million was spent on temporary accommodation on the primary school in Johnstown. Now we have no money and no school. What an astonishing failure,” he said. Cllr Jimmy Fegan said it was a disgrace that Meath County council had been ignored for four years. He questioned why a landowner would sell land to the council if he was already receiving rent from it. Cllr Jenny McHugh, the principal of St Stephen’s School, said the school was there, the Local Area Plan is in place and she asked how long does it take to purchase a site. She recalled that when she came to the school as principal in 2003, there were briars up to the door of the current building. “Over that seven years, the building has been upgraded and refurbished at an annual cost of €200,000, on average. The building is leased and has also to be paid annually,” she said. Cllr McHugh said the urgent need for the new school building is obvious and it makes no economic sense to continue to upgrade a building that is privately owned. She said the need for a new school becomes a bigger issue every year with pupil numbers increasing by 100 per year. What was needed was for the Department to meet with the council and the school’s board of management to deliver the school, she added.