A Derry principal has described as ‘farcical’ the decision by the Education Minister not to fund a nursery unit at his school.
The Board of Governors at Gaelscoil na Daróige in Ballymagroarty applied earlier this year to the Department of Education for the establishment of a statutory part-time Irish-medium nursery unit at the school.
There is already a voluntary nursery unit at the school but this does not receive government funding.
The proposed new nursery unit would have provided 26 part-time places from September 1.
However, the Education Minister, Peter Weir, has turned down the proposal.
The principal, Oisín MacEó, said he was disappointed with the Minister’s decision.
“We already provide a quality pre-school education, as the Minister's statement has acknowledged, however it is reasonable to expect the same status and funding as the English nursery at the bottom of our street.
“This is a question of equality for our children and the Irish language. “
Mr MacEó said he wanted to assure parents of children currently enrolled at the school’s nursery that their education and the current arrangements will not be affected by this decision.
“Not only will we continue to provide the hours and quality of pre-school education that we already do, we intend to go on building on that this year, irrespective of this decision.
“The reasons given for not granting statutory status are, quite frankly, farcical.
“The Minister says he cannot allow us a statutory nursery as it will displace the already existing good quality, voluntary pre-school.
“We are in effect, being punished for running a good quality voluntary pre-school.
“In reality, the Department gets good quality education here on the cheap while maintaining the inequality between Irish Medium and English Medium in the area.
“We also note that in making previous decisions, the Department have always considered the implications for schools within a two mile radius, as this is the acceptable walking distance to school according to the Department’s own handbook.
“This has been changed in relation to our application to now consider schools and their sustainability issues from a wider area than usual in order to knock us back.”
Mr MacEó claimed that before the last election, the DUP promised to halt the growth of Irish medium education which, he said, has more than doubled in enrollments in the last ten years.
“Since taking office in May, Peter Weir has pulled the plug on the relocation of a Falls Road gaelscoil from poor accommodation to an empty school building 400 metres down the road and controversially pulled funding from special needs nuture units in two other Belfast gaelscoils.
“Like the schools in Belfast we will also be fighting to roll back this decision.
“It would seem the minister is not fulfilling his obligations to encourage and facilitate the growth of Irish medium education under the relevant Education Order and we are currently taking legal advice on a way forward.
“Once again, however, I would assure parents that arrangements at the current provision will not be affected.”
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