This article is from page 2 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THERE is a crisis in Clare’s rural schools.
That’s according to Chairman of Rural Resettlement Ireland Jim Connolly who claims that many schools in Clare and across the country are in danger of closing due to population decline and bad planning practices.
“Planning refusals that the RRI have received from Clare County Council have put schools in danger,” he said.
The outspoken Kilbaha man said that families were being refused planning permission by Clare County Council, just as Rural Resettlement Ireland had been.
He said he has been approached by a number of schools in the county who are struggling to keep their doors open to the community they represent, as pupil numbers rapidly decline.
Mr Connolly pointed to the success story in Tullycrine National School, where RRI secured planning permission for four houses.
“We expect to have four new families in Tullycrine for next year,” he said.
Two junior infants joined the west Clare school already this month as well as one other student. That brings to 14 the current pupil population.
School Principal Mary Lynch said she was delighted with this year’s additional pupils as it secured the second teacher for at least two more years.
Meanwhile Baltard National School close to the White Strand in Doonbeg had just one new pupil joining this year.
The local community is anxious that the one teacher school remains open.
The board of management said it was hopping that houses being built by RRI would produce young families, otherwise the school was in danger of closing.
The board maintains that smaller schools are a huge advantage to both mainstream and special needs children as it allows one on one tuition.
It also allows the teacher give special attention to a child who may need special help with a specific subject.
The small school received the prestigious DEIS (Delivering Equality of opportunity in Schools) award last year, one of only 100 rural schools ever to do so.
Meanwhile as some schools campaign about over crowding RRI continues to relocate young families into rural areas in danger of having their school closed.
“Nobody can be forced to send their children to any particular school. All we can do is introduce families to different schools after that it is a parental decision,” said Mr Connolly.
RRI helped to relocated nine families already this year.
“You either develop of die,” warned the RRI chairman. “And you can’t develop without people.”