Taoiseach accused of ‘victim blaming’ over Dublin school's financial crisis
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
The Taoiseach has been accused of “victim blaming” and “gaslighting” after saying it was not necessary for a Dublin principal to write to parents about her school’s financial difficulties.
Last month, the principal of Sacred Heart Junior School in the Killinarden area of Tallaght said it was facing closure because it could no longer afford to pay basic bills.
Principal Orla McLoughlin said the school has “suffered massive underfunding for many years” due to cuts from the Department of Education.
In a letter to parents, she outlined what she described as the school’s “major financial crisis” and said it would have to close and teach remotely from today’s date if it did not receive emergency funding.
In the interim, the Department of Education committed to an early payment of capitation grant which was due in June.
On Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that no school should have been in that position, but he did not “believe there was a necessity to write that letter to the parents at that time”.
Mr Martin, a former teacher, said it was his experience that the Department of Education always comes to help when schools are in difficulty.
He said: “My understanding is the department engaged with the school, with Sacred Heart, in December. It’s my understanding, sought information – the department did – but didn’t get any response in terms of information provision.”
Mr Martin said the department will continue to engage with the school and that it was unaware of any letter being sent out to the parents at the time.
He was responding to People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, who described his comments as “incredible”.
Mr Murphy told Mr Martin: “The Taoiseach is blaming a school put in a position by your government, by the Department of Education, blaming them for being in a situation where they felt no alternative but to say ‘we’ve got to close our doors’.
“Incredible. Victim blaming and gaslighting these principals across the country.”
Mr Murphy said the advance on the capitation grant was kicking the can down the road, where the school will face a bigger debt in September.
Mr Murphy said the department’s Financial Support Services Unit letter to Sacred Heart JNS in December advised the principal to “reach out to her community to help fund the school”.
He said: “Shameful. These are not charities, Taoiseach. These principals shouldn’t be running around having to fundraise based on how much money is in their area, based on how much population is served by their school. This is a basic public service which the state needs to provide.”
Mr Martin said he was “not victim blaming anybody” and questioned Mr Murphy’s “sincerity” on the matter.
He said he did not doubt that the department would solve the school’s issues “in a sensible way”.
The Taoiseach added that the children at Sacred Heart there now had free primary school books and hot school meals.
Mr Murphy was raising the issue of Sacred Heart JNS during Leaders’ Questions as an example of the “canary in the coal mine” of “chronic underfunding” of schools around the country.
He said he was contacted by the principal of Holy Spirit Junior Primary School in Greenhills on Friday about the “very real possibility of closure” over financial pressures there.
He called for a doubling of the capitation grant for primary schools, and for increasing the minor works grant and ancillary services grant.
Mr Martin said the capitation grant has increased significantly over the last number of years.
