Education Minister visits Tyrone schools

THE principal of a Tyrone post-primary school said he was pleased to have the opportunity to show the Education Minister the “reality of school life” and to present to her some of the most pressing issues confronting his staff and pupils.

DUP MLA Michelle McIlveen was in the county last Wednesday when she visited Omagh High School, Castlederg High School, Strabane Academy and Queen Elizabeth II Primary School, Trillick.

Chief among the concerns that Omagh High School principal, Christos Gaitatzis, raised with the Minister during her visit was the need for urgent maintenance to on-site buildings, and also the necessity of securing resources for better pastoral support services, including the development of a well-staffed respite unit.

Mr Gaitatzis told the Tyrone Herald, “Ministers can often be a little bit distant from the reality of school life, so I am always keen to get them in to show them what life is like on the shop floor, as it were.”

During the short visit, Mr Gaitatzis invited the minister to observe classes, and, later, she spent time in the school canteen while the pupils had their lunch.

“She got to see the high standard of education we deliver here at Omagh High, and, by spending some time in the canteen during lunch, she was able to get a sense of what school is like on an average day.”

But, as well as getting a glimpse of the ordinary, day-to-day running of the school, the minister was also informed of some key areas where the school would like to see improvement.

“I explained to the Minister that we would like to see extra provisions for pupils in need of pastoral care,” said Mr Gaitatzis, “which, essentially, means we want more help providing for pupils who have complex social and behavioural needs.

“We need a well-staffed respite unit which acts as a space where struggling pupils could receive the help and support they need to integrate back into normal school life,” said Mr Gaitatzis.

“As well as that, I showed the minister some parts of the school buildings that, due to the Department’s fixation with bringing the Strule Campus to being, have been neglected for too long.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Strabane Academy said, “It was our pleasure to have the Minister of Education visit us! The pupils who spoke with the Minister were a credit to themselves and our school.”