Allister concerned by state education provision in Antrim
17 August 2009
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
“After meeting with parents, affected by the planned transformation of Parkhall Secondary School in Antrim into a Controlled Integrated School, I am greatly concerned by the manipulation of processes followed to attain this decision and the long-term implications for educational provision in Antrim.
“Having to resort to four ballots to railroad this decision through demonstrates to me an agenda which was not tempered by any desire to ensure parents were genuinely content. The mentality of not taking ‘No’ for an answer underscores the existence of a determination to rob Antrim of its sole state secondary school. I do not see it as being in the long-term educational interests of the area that parents who desire a state controlled secondary education for their children have to bus their children miles away to Ballyclare, Ballymena or Glengormley. With Ballyclare Secondary heavily over-subscribed the choice for Antrim parents is even further reduced.
“Integrated education is something which should exist for those who want it, but it should not be railroaded onto parents by depriving them of any other practical choice in their home town. In that regard it is divisive and will prove more so as gaelic games and culture become part of the curriculum in Parkhall and the Roman Catholic Church is invited to nominate two representatives to the Board of Governors.
“There is an unfolding disadvantage to Protestant children in the Northern Ireland. Only State schools give up their controlled status, Roman Catholic schools never evolve in that direction, but courtesy of pushing integrated status the ethos of State education is being transformed. Hence, the state sector is diminishing.
“As for parents who do not wish their children to go to Parkhall as an integrated school, I do not believe the NEELB has made adequate efforts to accommodate them. With no state option in Antrim, it is imperative that strenuous efforts are made to meet their needs as conveniently as possible. It is not enough for the NEELB to find a school somewhere within their Board area, it must be convenient and acceptable to the displaced children and parents.”
