Mrs Catríona Gallagher (Patrick Gallagher Bus Travel) , Mrs Norma
Summers (school principal), Mr Samuel Rankin (parent), Mrs Stacey
Tease (Board of Management), pupils from the school, Mr and Mrs
Gilbert Allah-Mensah and Cllr Ciaran Brogan at this morning’s bus launch.
A tiny two-teacher school has been forced to launch its own bus service to attract more pupils so it can survive.
Trentagh National School, just ten minutes outside Letterkenny, has a proud history of education down through the years.
But dwindling numbers has seen it battle to survive in recent years and the Department of Education is now threatening to reduce it to a one-teacher school.
Ironically pupil numbers at the school is set to rise considerably in the next three years.
But the Board of Management and principal Norma Summers are fearful the Government could reduce the teaching staff by 50% this September.
Mrs Summers has pleaded to the Department to give them some breathing space.
“We are simply asking the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn to back off and leave us alone for a year,” said Mrs Summers bluntly.
The Board of Management has decided to run a bus service serving the Letterkenny and Kilmacrennan areas.
This morning was its maiden voyage and it is hoped it will attract lots more pupils along the route in future months and years.
Mrs Summers said the school is grateful to Cllr Brogan and other election candidates such as Cllr Ian McGarvey John Watson and Grace Boyle, along with her party colleague Deputy Joe McHugh who have been vocal in showing their support to smalll schools such as theirs.
“The school is funding the service themselves, a position which we feel we have been forced into thanks to Minister Quinn’s determination to make life as difficult possible for small rural schools. “Trentagh National School is fighting back and we intend to win,” added principal Summers.
Councillor Ciaran Brogan urged all local Government members to support the school’s plight.
“Having met with the parents and members of the Board of Management, I can feel the pride and passion they have for their school. Th very fact that they now have to fund their own transport to get an extra two pupils for September I think is something the Government needs to look at as a matter of urgency.
“It is very unfair to parents and the Board of Management that this is where their focus has to be .
“Common sense should allow for the Minister to intervene at this stage. I am calling on the Government representatives in the county to go to the Minister directly about this matter,” he said.
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