THE declining school going population has led to changes in the way rules for recognising new schools are interpreted, according to the Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach defended her decision to refuse recognition to six new Gaelscoileanna this week but said "the door is not closed" on further discussion.
"If there was a flexibility in the past, I'm faced with a particular challenge [now]. By the year 2000 there will be 60,000 less children coming into schools. This September there will be 11,000 less", she told RTE radio. "The rule is 20 [pupils] and there was a flexibility, but the fall in population has made me look to the rule", the Minister added.
Referring to the refusal to recognise a Gaelscoil in Maynooth, she said: "We have a situation in Maynooth where there is a school 3 1/2 miles down the road. Half the children on the Maynooth entry list evidently are already registered in the school down the road. Can I honestly say to the Kilcock community, `I have a confidence this is a viable school, if half the junior pupils now move to another one?"
A spokeswoman for the Department said Gaelscoileanna benefit from a £65 capitation fee per pupil, compared to £45 in ordinary schools. Gaelscoileanna generally enjoy a more favourable pupil teacher ratio (five teachers in a 100 pupil school compared to four in an ordinary school) and more favourable capital funding, she said.
The PD spokesman on Irish Mr Bobby Molloy, criticised the Minister's "devastating blow" to parents trying to educate their children through Irish. "This decision of Minister Breathnach is a blatant anti Irish language move and is incomprehensible in the light of stated Government policy for the promotion of the Irish language within the education system", he said.
He said her credibility was "seriously in question, as her decision in relation to these schools is directly contrary to her stated position on Gaelscoileanna as enunciated by her when she addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Irish Language last week".
Mr Molloy added: "The Minister's offer of a meeting [with parents] after the 22nd of August is unacceptable as it would be then too late to make final arrangements regarding placement of pupils, appointment of teachers and arrangements regarding availability of school premises.
"So far the Minister has shown a callous disregard for the havoc her decision has wrought on the future of Irish language education through the Gaelscoileanna movement.
Irish language organisations meanwhile continued their attack on the Minister's decision. Comhdhail Naisuinta na Gaeilge said Government policy on the language was "reduced to farce" by Ms Breathnach. The decision was a "direct and shameful attack on community based efforts to support the promotion of the Irish language", it added.