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29/09/2004
Minister approves new Irish-Medium Primary Schools
Education Minister Barry Gardiner has approved the establishment of two new Irish-medium primary schools in Belfast and Co Fermanagh.
In Belfast, Gaelscoil na Mona will be located in Turf Lodge, while in Co Fermanagh Gaelscoil na Traonaigh will be situated in Lisnaskea.
The Minister also gave conditional approval to new Irish-medium primary schools in Enniskillen and in Draperstown to be funded when the schools can "achieve minimum viability requirements".
The Minister was unable to approve a proposal to establish a new Irish-medium primary school in the Poleglass area as it had failed to demonstrate that it could sustain viable enrolments and also because there are existing Irish-medium places available in other nearby Irish-medium primary schools.
Announcing his decision, the Minister said: “I am pleased to make this announcement today. The Department has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate Irish-medium education.
“These new schools will serve the local parents and children who have chosen education through the medium of Irish and I wish them every success for the future.”
On turning down the proposal for a new school in Poleglass, the Minister said: “Each proposal for a new school is considered carefully, based on all the information available including the evidence that a new school will be viable in the longer term and will not be in conflict with existing provision.
“In the case of the Poleglass proposal, I was not convinced that a school would be viable in the longer term, particularly since there is already successful Irish-medium primary schools nearby, with surplus capacity.”
(MB/GMCG)
In Belfast, Gaelscoil na Mona will be located in Turf Lodge, while in Co Fermanagh Gaelscoil na Traonaigh will be situated in Lisnaskea.
The Minister also gave conditional approval to new Irish-medium primary schools in Enniskillen and in Draperstown to be funded when the schools can "achieve minimum viability requirements".
The Minister was unable to approve a proposal to establish a new Irish-medium primary school in the Poleglass area as it had failed to demonstrate that it could sustain viable enrolments and also because there are existing Irish-medium places available in other nearby Irish-medium primary schools.
Announcing his decision, the Minister said: “I am pleased to make this announcement today. The Department has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate Irish-medium education.
“These new schools will serve the local parents and children who have chosen education through the medium of Irish and I wish them every success for the future.”
On turning down the proposal for a new school in Poleglass, the Minister said: “Each proposal for a new school is considered carefully, based on all the information available including the evidence that a new school will be viable in the longer term and will not be in conflict with existing provision.
“In the case of the Poleglass proposal, I was not convinced that a school would be viable in the longer term, particularly since there is already successful Irish-medium primary schools nearby, with surplus capacity.”
(MB/GMCG)
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