Ulster Unionist Party education spokesperson Danny Kinahan has criticised the Education Minister for failing to explain why he disregarded official advice to approve the new Irish language secondary school near Dungiven with a projected initial Year 8 intake of 14.
Mr Kinahan said:
" Yesterday's debate was one of the more dispiriting couple of hours I have experienced in recent Assembly history. The legitimate concerns about sustainability and value for money raised by the Ulster Unionist Party were given scant regard. The Minister was given the opportunity to set out a rationale for approving the Development Proposal for the proposed new Irish Medium secondary school in Dungiven. Not only did he not take that opportunity, but he could not even bring himself to admit that his decision was taken contrary to official advice.
“His Sinn Féin colleagues lined up to deny the fact of the official advice to refuse, whilst the SDLP complicity in signing the petition of concern and competing in a race to the bottom to claim oppression, was frankly embarrassing.
“To repeat again, this is what the Department of Education's planning team told the Minister on 28 November:
‘Notwithstanding the Article 89 duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education, it is clear that enrolments at the proposed school will not reach sustainable levels in the medium term, if ever. Nor do they satisfy the less stringent intake numbers set out in the recent MAG report. These very low enrolments present in turn, a number of weaknesses in curricular provision, and difficulties in providing the range of extra-curricular activities which are also necessary for a high-quality education. Also, the school’s estimated first year deficit is circa £100,000 and this would have to be carried forward to subsequent years.’
“The official advice also told the Minister that he has other statutory duties which had to be balanced.
The guidance said:
‘ Application of the duty does not equate to the acceptance of every proposal brought forward on behalf of an IM school and that the Department must be mindful of its statutory duty under Article 44 of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986 and under Managing Public Money to ensure effective and efficient use of public funds.’
“This advice was disregarded on 8 December when the Minister approved the proposal. Anyone who cannot appreciate this simple fact clearly has no comprehension of the English language, never mind Irish.
“The Ulster Unionist Party has a placed a Freedom of Information request with the Department of Education to try to identify the Minister’s decision making process. The taxpayer still requires answers on this issue, and I am determined to find them.”
ENDS