CSI: Clifden Working towards a New Community School, fit for the Children of Clifden and Connemara

CSI: Clifden

Community School Initiative: Clifden

Working Towards a New Community School, Fit for the Children of Clifden and Connemara

What is the Situation?

Clifden Community school is well-known for the quality of its teaching and the all-round education it provides for the children of North-West Connemara. However, it is a daily struggle for the staff and students to maintain these standards in sub-standard facilities - covering both infrastructure and mechanical and electrical services - that impair the day to day functionality of the school.

The foundation stone of the current building was laid in 1974. The building was opened in 1979. In the course of its construction the main contractor went into liquidation and had to be replaced. The school, designed to accommodate c. 250 pupils, was never fully finished. The very poor condition of the school building and its services was confirmed following a detailed technical evaluation of the building carried out by two independent studies – one in 2000 and the second in 2003. The second study concluded that the problems identified with the building were such that they could not be resolved except through the provision of a new school building. This conclusion was accepted by the Department as the most effective option.

What has the Department of Education Done?

The Department of Education having sanctioned a new building commissioned a design team to develop the plans. This work was progressing well until January 2008. At that point the Department put the whole project on hold and stopped the project proceeding to detailed design stage until further instructions were issued. The project has now been “on hold” for almost a year and a half with no sign of any progress. In January 2008, it was anticipated that the detailed architectural planning for the project could be completed within six months.

Who are CSI Clifden?

We are a group of parents, future parents, school staff and concerned members of the community who have come to gather to campaign and lobby the Government to provide a decent, safe environment for our children’s education. We have the support of the School Principal, Clifden Community Council and all of the elected representatives in the area.

What are We Doing?

The school facilities need to be replaced urgently as they are unsuited to the needs of a 21st Century (or even 20th Century) education. The parents believe that a concerted lobbying campaign is the only way to push things forward. We have regular public meetings, which have been attended by all of our elected TDs and Senators and a number of Local Councillors. By raising awareness of the issue, Regionally and Nationally, we can bring the maximum political pressure to bear.

Petition:

We have been gathering signatures from people all over Connemara to demonstrate the level of support for our cause. To date we have collected over 3,000 signatures.

Dail Delegation Meets Minister:

Dail Delegation

Pictured above at Dail Eireann: Brendan Madden, PK Joyce, James Mungovan, Bridie O’Neill and Simon Boote .

A delegation from CSI Clifden met with Minister Batt O’Keeffe in Dail Eireann on May 28th to express the widespread disappointment and concern over the decision not to progress plans for the building of a new community school for Connemara “for the foreseeable future”. The minister announced to the delegation that he will give approval to advance the priority of the new school building project. This has resulted in a shift in the band rating from 2.3 upwards to band rating 2.1. Click here for details about the banding criteria. This is a significant step, but we need to keep the pressure up to ensure that our school gets funding to the planning stage

Film Project:

We have submitted an application to the Galway Film Centre to obtain funding and training to make a film highlighting the issues facing the school. This could be important tool in raising our profile and gathering support

Fund-raising:

Fund-raising is a fact of life for all voluntary groups. To date we have had three successful fund-raising activities: a cake sale in the Station House Hotel; Bag-packing in Kavanagh’s Supervalu; and a Music Night in E.J. Kings bar; all in Clifden. We would like to thank the owners and managers of the venues, all the volunteers for their time and effort and all who contributed so generously.

What Can You Do to Help?

We welcome support from everybody, whether it is to sign our petition, attend a fundraising event, or to get more involved in the campaign.

Spread the word about our campaign, and if you meet any political representatives, make sure to ask them what they will do about the school. They can bring pressure to bear through their political parties and let them know that votes are at stake.

You can let the Government, TDs and Senators in the Galway West Constituency know of your concern by sending them e-mails using these links. You can edit the e-mail text, and add your name and address if you wish.

If you would like to be kept informed of our progress, you can:

Text ‘info’ to: 0871254208

E-mail us at: clifdencsbuilding@eircom.net

Dail Delegation

Our delegation to the Dail on May 28th met the Minister for Education, Batt O'Keeffe who undertook to give the Clifden Community School Building project a higher priority by moving it from band 2.3 to band 2.1 on the department’s scale.

September Event

We are planning a big FREE event in early September to raise the profile of our campaign and demonstrate the scale of our support. Watch this space and look out for information locally. We are hoping for a massive turnout on the night.

Petition

So far, we have collected over 3,000 signatures in support of our cause. If you have not signed the petition yet, look out for it in shops and businesses in the Clifden area.

Meetings

We will continue to meet once a month over the summer. Please show your support by coming to the meetings if you can.

Fund-raising

Check here and look out for posters locally to find out about upcoming fund-raising events. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Text:

0871254208

Email:

clifdencsbuilding
@eircom.net