A total of 49 children from disadvantaged areas of Limerick have no secondary school to attend because of the restrictive enrolment policies of some local schools, the INTO conference heard yesterday.
Limerick delegate Mr Michael O'Sullivan said the plight of these children sat uneasily with the Minister's supposed commitment to educational equality.
For years, he said, the international community had railed against apartheid in South Africa but a form of apartheid was evident in his city. Can you imagine the severe blow to the self-esteem of these children when they hear that certain schools do not want them? he asked.
He said 20 children from his school had walked into their local secondary school only to be told there was little point in them even sitting the exam. Most secondary schools in Limerick work to accommodate all children, he said, but the exclusion of even one child should not be tolerated. "Children at age 12 should not be classed as failures. You can imagine the social problems that will ensue. It is high time the Department addressed this issue."
Last month, the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, said he was appalled by any move to exclude children from schools on social or academic grounds. But no sanctions have been imposed on schools suspected of this.
Ms Anne McMahon (Limerick) said a situation in which 49 children had received no offer of a second level place was deeply worrying. "It is not enough for the Department to say there are sufficient places for all children leaving primary school, it does not address the real issue here," she said.
Mr Gerry O'Sullivan (Limerick) said the children in question now have nowhere to go next September. What makes the situation worse is that 16 of these pupils had spent much of this year not going to school, as they had also failed to gain places last year.
Conference passed an emergency motion expressing its extreme concern at the failure of the relevant authorities to provide suitable second-level placements for these pupils.