Official denies school for blind is to close

The Department of Education has denied reports that St Mary's School for Visually Impaired Girls in Merrion, Dublin, is to close today.

A spokeswoman said last night that "the trustees of St Mary's have confirmed to the Department their commitment to maintain the existing provision pending the identification of satisfactory alternative arrangements."

The Department, she said, was "committed to ensuring that adequate provision is made to ensure continuation of education services to the pupils" currently at the school. "The issue is whether this provision will continue to be made at St Mary's or in another location. The Department is currently working with the school authorities and with Féach, the parents' representatives, to identify appropriate alternative arrangements," she said.

The Department was "determined to ensure that there will be continuity of provision for the pupils involved," she said.

Yesterday, the National Disability Authority (NDA) called on the Minister for Education "to urgently address the crisis in provision of educational facilities for visually impaired girls created by the closure of St Mary's School in South Dublin, tomorrow [i.e. today]. St Mary's is the State's only school for visually impaired girls", it said in a statement.

Ms Angela Kerins, chairwoman of the NDA, was quoted as saying that for a number of years the Department was aware the school would close and three Ministers had been involved. A high-level committee had been set up and two years ago recommended the setting up of a National Centre of Excellence. A project manager was appointed.

Two months ago, the Minister "decided the proposed National Centre would not go ahead. A crisis now exists," she said.

She noted "this wholly unsatisfactory closure is taking place during the European Year for People with Disabilities and Special Olympics."

The crisis had not occurred "because of some unforeseen or unexpected event. In fact the Trustees of St Mary's postponed its closure [by 18 months] in response to a request from the secretary general at the Department of Education and Science and agreed to keep the school open until June 2003," she said.

The situation was that "there will not be a special school catering for the needs of visually impaired girls in September 2003." Unless there was a major development by then, "mainstream schools will cater for the education of blind girls while boys will continue to have access to St Joseph's Special School for the Blind or to a mainstream school," she said.

"Adequate provision for girls and boys with visual impairment in a special school is an essential component of the system," she said. So too was adequate provision for such children in mainstream schools, she said.

The Green Party has condemned news of the school closure. In a statement yesterday, the party's education spokesman, Mr Paul Gogarty, described it as "extremely regrettable" and called on the Government and the Minister for Education in particular "to make funding and all the necessary resources available to prevent the school from closing".

"Only last Saturday we were celebrating the fantastic Special Olympics opening ceremony and today the Government returned to form with regard to providing facilities for those with a disability," he added.