Local parents to discuss integrated education in Drumquin

THE future of schooling in the Drumquin area will be discussed at a meeting next week.

The event comes at an uncertain time for small rural schools, with Gillygooley PS and Drumlish PS closing recently.

Drumquin parent, Dearbhla Crozier, decided to organise the meeting to gauge local opinion on the prospect of integrated education in the area.

Langfield Primary School in Drumquin has just 22 students, with no new intake of Primary Ones this year, whereas St Joseph’s, another primary school in the village, has a total of 140 students enrolled this term.

Dearbhla says she has already had a ‘positive response’ to an online appeal on the matter, with more than 30 parents expressing an interest, and thus an information evening has been arranged for next Thursday at the Drumquin Community & Youth Centre.

Speaking to the UH earlier this week, Dearbhla said, “Having talked to a number of parents in the Drumquin area, I feel the time is right to have an informal meeting together to discuss what the future of education might look like in our community, and what role parents can play in the process.

“As a parent in the Drumquin community with young school-age children, I have always taken a keen interest in local education provision. As seen by the recent decision to close Gillygooley Primary School, education is in a state of flux.

“I believe in good community relations, and am fearful that sustainability of our local schools will continue to be a major issue facing the entire community. With this in mind, I thought it would be helpful for representatives from the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) to provide some information on how communities can become involved in such important discussions.”

The IEF assists the growth of integrated education by supporting existing integrated schools, and helping to facilitate cross-sector solutions for schools and any new parents’ groups who want integrated education.

Dearbhla continued, “The IEF are involved in a special project with Ulster University called ‘Future Schools’, whereby local parents, communities and schools are encouraged to think about such issues, and, perhaps, this is something that the community in Drumquin might like to consider.”

Dearbhla then summed up the purpose of next week’s meeting: “The meeting at Drumquin Community and Youth Centre is simply a first step to gauge interest from parents, and hopefully might encourage wider conversations on this important issue,” she said.

If you wish to take part in discussing the prospect of integrated education in Drumquin, the meeting will be held on Thursday, October 26 at 7.30pm in Drumquin Community & Youth Centre.