Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton, has today, written to the Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, asking her to seriously consider the establishment of a new second level school in the East Cork area to open in September 2022.
Speaking after writing to the Minister, David Stanton said: “Bearing in mind the pressures that principals, parents, and pupils are experiencing as a result of this year’s long waiting lists for secondary level places in East Cork, I am fearful that the situation could become unmanageable in September 2022. Virtually all of the local secondary schools are now seriously oversubscribed and so an obvious solution would be to explore the possibility of establishing a new second level school in the area, albeit in temporary accommodation, in order to adequately cope with the numbers from next year onwards.
“East Cork is a rapidly growing area; however, new schools will be needed in any event in the medium to long-term future. The Department of Education should also begin work on acquiring land, obtaining planning permission and building another permanent school in the area. This does take time as we know from previous experience, but we still have to provide accommodation for the primary school pupils who are transitioning to second level in the years to come”, concluded Deputy Stanton.
