Strule sod-cutting ceremony overshadowed by school boycott

A landmark event for a massive education project in Omagh will be held this morning.

A sod-cutting event will be held to mark the latest stage in the Strule Shared Education Campus.

Five post-primary schools currently located in Omagh town centre are due to move to the new campus when it opens in 2028.

The schools involved in the project are Omagh CBS, Sacred Heart College, Omagh High School and Loreto Grammar. Arvalee School and Resource Centre was the first school to move there almost a decade ago.

However, today’s sod-cutting event had been overshadowed after one of the schools involved in the Strule campus yesterday revealed they would be boycotting the ceremony.

Omagh High School says it has made the decision due to what it describes as ‘the lack of acknowledgement by the architects’ for adjustments during the design consultation process.The school has said that other Strule campus partners have ‘similar concerns’.

Omagh High School principal, Christos Gaitatzis, supported the overall shared campus.

“However, the design and construction element of the project is veering to the wrong direction and we have no other choice but to highlight our points of contention.

“This decision has not been taken lightly but it is our only way to demonstrate our frustration to the leaders of this ‘flagship” project’.”

Preparation works on the campus – located on the Gortin Road in Omagh and due to cost in the region of £375 million – have been ongoing for a number of months following the confirmation of funding.

Minister of Education, Paul Givan, will be among those in attendance at today’s sod-cutting event.