Sandra Overend MLA, Ulster Unionist education spokesperson, has said that Sinn Fein Minister John O’Dowd has confirmed that his decision making around Irish Language schools has been based on politics rather than sustainability.
Sandra Overend MLA said:
“At his last Question Time in the Assembly, Education Minister John O’Dowd boasted about what he had achieved for the Irish Medium sector. In response to my colleague Alastair Patterson, the Minister did not disagree with the conclusion ‘that he has made decisions on political, not evidence based grounds.’
“This is actually a shocking admission which does a disservice not only to the wider education community, but also to Irish language enthusiasts. He has again politicised the Irish language. He is meant to have a sustainable schools policy.
“The Minister has justified his decisions on Irish medium schools by referencing his statutory duty to encourage and facilitate its growth. However this is not an unfettered duty, and the Minister has a statutory duty to ensure value for money for the taxpayer.
“The Minister commissioned and accepted an Advisory Group Report in 2014 about the development of post primary Irish Medium (IM) education. Recommendation 4.2.6 set an initial intake for an IM post-primary school of 35 in year 8 rising to 65/80 by the fifth year to ensure sustainability.
“Yet despite this and official advice that the numbers were well below the sustainability threshold, in December 2014 the Minister approved a new secondary school at Owenbeg near Dungiven. Yesterday he said he believed the current enrolment at the school was 17 pupils.
“This begs the obvious question: How on earth can a secondary school be sustainable or attempt to deliver the curriculum with those sort of numbers? Even if the numbers were there, can the subjects which must be available at secondary school level be taught through the medium of the Irish language?
“This state of affairs proves that DUP’s claims that their St Andrews Agreement put an end to Ministerial solo runs were false. They were powerless to stop O’Dowd’s political decisions.
“We need an end to Sinn Fein’s occupation of the Education Department, and a start to evidence based decisions based on fairness, equality and need.”