Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers to protest against new policy
November 19, 2013
Local Gaelcholáiste giving priority to children from English medium primary schools
Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers will gather in Blackrock in Dublin tomorrow, Wednesday 20 November 2013 at 12.15pm to protest the new enrolment policy of Gaelcholáiste Mhuire in Cork.
The group will travel from Cork to Dublin to express their dissatisfaction with the Edmund Rice Schools Trust who controls the policies within Gaelcholáiste Mhuire.
The cause of the controversy is the decision taken by Gaelcholáiste management to no longer recognise Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers as a feeder school. According to Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, the gaelcholáiste has always provided Gaelscoil children with a place at the post-primary school however, the new school manager, who was put in place following the Edmund Rice Schools Trust’s decision to abolish the school management board, has taken the decision to introduce a two stream system within the school. Under this new system only 58 children will start first year next September, as opposed to 89 last year, and four English medium schools in the region will be given priority over pupils of Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers.
Principal of Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, Adrian Breathnach said that this new policy goes against the Education Act 1998 as the trusts failed to include parents in the implementation of any enrolment policy. He also said that the priority given to children from English-medium schools will end a long-standing tradition between the local gaelscoil and gaelcholáiste.
The protest will be held outside the office of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust in Blackrock, Dublin, on Wednesday 20 November 2013 from 12.15pm.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
