Louth TD accuses Department of Education of discriminating against Ardee school

Louth TD Fergus O’Dowd has accused the Department of Education of discriminating against Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire, Ardee by not granting the school DEIS status.

Addressing Education Minister Norma Foley yesterday in the Dail he said that of the three schools in Ardee two, Educate Together and Monastery National School, have DEIS status with Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire the only one that does not.

“The difficulty is that two of the schools have DEIS status, so every boy in Ardee, whether going to school in primary or secondary school, has DEIS status and has those supports, but not every girl does, because there are 288 girls who attend Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire and they do not have DEIS status. 

“Their brothers and the boys in the other schools have a hot lunch during the day. Girls are being discriminated against because they do not have DEIS status and they do not have a school meal because one is predicated on the other,” he said.

The Deputy went on to say that he has spoken to the school principal and that  “the facts are that 60% of the girls attending the school have siblings attending a DEIS school. 

“In first class, 73% of the students, who are essentially girls, have a brother or sister in one of the DEIS schools. In third class, 80% of pupils, and in sixth class, 76% of pupils have a sibling in a local DEIS school. 

“From the very first day when a girl goes to school in the town of Ardee, she is discriminated against by DEIS decisions.”

He also claimed to have been told by school staff that they know a number of girls come to school with no lunch or an inadequate lunch and that they are sourcing food locally and keeping sliced pans and other food in their freezer for children in need.

He accused the Minister of “perpetuating inequality in our society” and said “the children are entitled to a hot school meal or food and water” 

“It is absolutely disgraceful and I cannot stand over this.”

In reply Minister Norma Foley said that Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire did not qualify for DEIS school status as set out in criteria determined by the Department of Education. 

“That is the same reply the Minister gave me last week, or the week before. There has obviously been no change in the Department. I urge the Minister to inquire again into the issue of gender inequality that is arising here,” said O’Dowd. 

“Every boy attending primary school in Ardee is getting a hot meal at school while no girl attending is. 

“Twins coming from the same address with the same mum and dad walk down the street and one goes to the boys' school while the other to the girls' school.”

In response Minister Foley said she wanted to be clear that where a school does not achieve DEIS status, it does not mean that educational disadvantage does not exist but that the concentration of educational disadvantage between two schools is different. 

“Unless there is a 100% reflection of the same students in each school, then both schools will be different. The issue here is not educational disadvantage but the concentration of it in one school over another,” she said. 

“Gender is not part of this. It is about concentrated disadvantage,” she concluded.

“The Minister is not addressing this. It is discrimination.” concluded Deputy O’Dowd.