Ruane blasted over schools move
CAITRIONA Ruane has come under fire for her levels of funding for Irish language schools.
The education minister yesterday announced conditional approval for four new Irish language primary schools – despite figures showing a significant number of empty seats in many of the existing Irish medium schools.
The chairman of the assembly's education committee, Mervyn Storey, said that the controversial minister was approving "her pet projects".
The DUP assemblyman said: "People will be bemused by the minister blindly throwing more and more money towards Irish language education in such a challenging public spending climate.
"No doubt the minister will use her warped view of equality as justification.
"The minister's decision are driven by ideology rather than what is best for the country's school children.
"In my own constituency, Ballee primary school has recently been forced to closed.
"However, it had more pupils than are required for Irish schools to be set up."
The four new schools, in Magherafelt, Kilkeel, Limavady and Ballymena, are set to open on September 1 this year or "as soon as possible thereafter".
But Ms Ruane claimed: "Demand from parents for Irish-medium education for their children has been growing for many years and the proposals for these new schools reflect that demand.
"The Department of Education has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education."
The education minister's announcement on the new schools coincides with the publication of figures showing a large number of pupils being turned away from mainstream schools due to over subscription.
Integrated post-primaries top the list of schools unable to accommodate those wishing to attend.
Slemish Integrated in Ballymena has had to refuse entry to 93 children this year and Lagan College in Belfast 87.
In Omagh, Drumragh school left 51 hopeful pupils disappointed, leaving supporters of integrated education fuming.
Tom Elliott of the UUP said that the education minister's greatest strength was "creating division and controversy".
The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA pointed out that "in June, Caitriona Ruane announced that numerous new builds and improvement schemes would not go ahead because 'we simply cannot build schools without money'."
An education department spokesman said: "Anyone can bring forward a proposal to open a new grant-aided school.
"The department assesses the proposal against a common set of criteria - to ensure equitable treatment of proposals regardless of sector."
The spokesman said the long-term funding of the four schools was not guaranteed and added: "To qualify for capital funding, new schools have to not only meet the initial intakes but also medium term targets."
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
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