Rural children should have same opportunities as Enniskillen pupils

Editorial Department • Published 16 Feb 2012 13:00 0 Comments

Dear Sir, - I've never before put pen to paper on any subject but I felt obliged to do so after seeing councillor Bernice Swift trying to jump on the bandwagon regarding the proposed closure to St. Aidan's school in Derrylin. This is clearly a very emotional issue within our community but for Bernice to try and hi-jack this and use it as a tool for her to try and bash Sinn Fein beggars belief!

As far as I'm aware, this is a CCMS proposal and the three sets of school principals and Board of Governors agreed that this was the best and only way of maintaining a rural school in this part of Fermanagh, which offers our children an on-par education with the bigger and so called better schools. This wasn't just a Sinn Fein proposal!

I am a parent who has sent my children to St. Aidan's and as a result of doing so they are being discriminated against because of the number of subjects which are available to them now at GCSE level, compared to the children who attend Enniskillen schools.

I have a number of questions which I'd like Bernice to answer on this subject: - 1. What is her proposal on how to keep these schools open, given the falling numbers of pupils and lack of subject choices? Does she think it's okay for pupils from this area to have less of a choice (thus limiting their career choice also) than children from Enniskillen? Or does she want another 10 teachers employed in St. Aidan's and the other schools to provide the extra subjects?

2. Is she proposing a school for pupils from 4 to 14 year olds? If so, which primary schools in the area does she want closed to facilitate this new school?

3. Seeing that she lives in Enniskillen, would she send her kids to St. Aidan's or to the local schools that provide a greater number of subjects? Would she be happy to limit their choices? Are we entitled to less than them?

4. Parents are already voting with their heads by sending their children from this area to schools in Enniskillen. Can I ask Bernice does she know why this is? Is she trying to imply that she cares more about this area than people living in it, who have supported the school their lifetime but want the same opportunities for their children as for anyone else's.

5. Would she not agree that a new school with all the subjects and all the modern facilities and technology which is located somewhere in rural South East Fermanagh, would be better than letting all these schools die a slow death by falling numbers and parents choosing to send their kids to Enniskillen.

6. Maybe this is Bernice's master plan, i.e all schools in Fermanagh to be based in Enniskillen, where she lives!

The hypocrisy on this subject is breath-taking, as an SDLP Councillor was speaking and calling on this rural school to be saved, while at the same time driving 25-30 miles past Brollagh school himself to attend a school in Enniskillen. Why can't people be honest and not hypocritical and afford our rural children the same opportunities as anyone else?

Yours faithfully,

Bemused Derrylin parent.

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This letter appeared in Impartial Reporter 16 Feb 12

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