With the appointment of Cork TD Batt O’Keeffe as the new Minister for Education, hopes were high that St Angela’s case would be looked on favourably. Local Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen and Labour Party TD for the area, Kathleen Lynch have both raised the case of St Angela’s with the Minister in the Dáil.

Responding to their enquiries, Minister O’Keeffe told the Dáil that, “An extension and refurbishment project for the school referred to by the Deputy is in the early stages of architectural planning at an agreed projected enrolment of 500 pupils. Following on from a recent meeting with the school authorities, my department have confirmed acceptance of the Trustees offer for the sale of a portion of the site with the remainder of the site being gifted by the Trustees.

“When the site acquisitions issues have been completed, the proposed building project for the school will be considered in the context of the department’s multi-annual school building and modernisation programme”.

Reacting to Minister O’Keeffe’s comments Deputy Allen said, “St Angela’s College, Patrick’s Hill has been promised a new school for over 20 years. I can only condemn the Government’s inaction and broken   promises regarding the school which were made by Micheál Martin and other ministers over a number of years as the school is crying out for modernisation”.

St Angela’s is not the only school in Cork that is lobbying Minister O’Keeffe hard for badly needed funding for new buildings. Others which have hit the headlines in recent months include Glenville National School where some pupils are being taught in a converted toilet and the Star of the Sea National School in Passage West which is experiencing chronic overcrowding and has also seen parents, pupils and teachers demonstrating in a bid to secure funds.

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