Opinion: Schools for the communities designed by the communities

In this letter to the Editor, Independent Cllr Brendan Fay from Belturbet gives his vision for the future of education provision in west Cavan...

Editor,

For decades now the conversation around the schooling needs of the children in West Cavan has been ongoing. Disgruntled parents and townspeople have wondered aloud about the crowded old buildings, inaccessibility, gender split and under funding... for YEARS.

Children have come and gone through the primary and both secondary schools and nothing has changed. The dedication and hard work of school staff is hugely commendable and they deserve better working conditions. Students also deserve better conditions in which to learn.

West Cavan’s secondary schools have been underfunded for decades, while from Cavan Town to east Cavan and all through Monaghan, schools have flourished, expanded and are being upgraded continuously. Few thought that Kingscourt’s Colaiste Dun na Ri would become a reality but it did because of a community’s vision.

The proposal to close St Bricin’s and St Mogue’s and spend a fortune on building a brand new school in another town looks like a ludicrous and badly thought out plan to me and should not be pursued. The communities involved feel there was no consultation with them and, through my communications with stakeholders and local people, this plan is not what they want.

Minister Norma Foley said at the end of June that she is open to suggestions in relation to schools and educational provision for West Cavan.

My vision is to begin this process from scratch with the following plan. Cavan Town is 40% oversubscribed with pupils and, if this trend continues, further extensions will be needed on top of the many upgrades and extensions already happening. There are already two secondary schools down the road in West Cavan, which can solve all of these problems with proper funding and planning.

St Mogue’s is the beating heart of Bawnboy and, without it, a rural community could be devastated. All this school needs and deserves is major investment, which will enhance its facilities and allow it to continue its rich tradition of teaching and learning in the locality for future generations.

The Belturbet area badly needs a lot of work in all of its education facilities. A perfect solution would be a full education campus similar to the fantastic set up in Monaghan town to address all of these problems at once. Currently our crèche is too small, our primary schools are old buildings and pupils are segregated by sex and religion. Our secondary school needs major investment to cater for the growing population and needs of the town. We have no adult education facilities either.

There has been much talk about upgrading the schools in Belturbet for over two decades and still nothing has happened. It is time to stop the talking and take action.

I am asking the local communities and the stakeholders to support me, along with the Save Our Schools committee and the CMETB, in sending a new proposal back to the Department of Education and Norma Foley. I think this new proposal ticks all the boxes for everyone: A complete upgrade for the St Mogue’s campus and a new education campus for Belturbet, designed with the collaboration and engagement of all stakeholders - schools FOR the communities designed BY the communities.

I have already begun the discussion with stakeholders and patrons involved and thus far have been met by positivity and agreement. Let us all go back to the drawing board for our communities in West Cavan, unite to save our schools by improving them, and make this vision become a reality for the benefit of our future generations of children.

Cllr Brendan Fay, Belturbet

Board member CMETB