Ministers to discuss gardai entering classrooms

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has said he will meet the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, this week in relation to her concerns over the deportation of immigrant schoolchildren.

A spokeswoman for Mr McDowell said yesterday the Minister was always "happy" to meet fellow Ministers at any time when issues were raised.

Ms Hanafin yesterday criticised the Garda's policy of removing non-national children from schools for later deportation. She intended to raise the question of the Garda policy of entering schools to secure deportations with Mr McDowell, she told the Sunday Business Post.

"I don't think it's appropriate to go in and start lifting children out of school classroom situations. There is a need for sensitivity around the question because there are other children there," said Ms Hanafin, a former teacher.

During last week's teacher union conferences, members of the INTO briefed Ms Hanafin on recent incidents where gardaí entered classrooms to question or remove children.

INTO president Austin Corcoran claimed "snatch squads" were arriving at schools to forcibly deport children or threaten them with deportation.

Asked about the case of Olukunle Elukanlo, who was allowed to return from Nigeria to sit his Leaving Cert, Ms Hanafin said: "I'm glad that someone close to his Leaving Cert was being allowed to sit his Leaving Cert.

"The one thing we do not want is for the guards to be going into the school and taking kids out - they can implement their policy in the home. There is a need for sensitivity around this question; also for the sake of the other children."

Asked about Mr Elukanlo's requests to meet the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell's spokeswoman said: "Requests to meet the Minister are dealt with in writing through the Minister's private secretary."

Meanwhile, Integrating Ireland, an umbrella group for immigrant support groups, has called for a moratorium on deportations.

Dr Jean-Pierre Eyanga, project officer, said: "We call for the return of those deported, and we demand that the Government put in place a moratorium on deportations, review the methods of the deportations, and recognise the need for the regularisation of asylum seekers, who, having been here for so long, have become valuable members of their communities."