"Thanks for the free books Norma. But where will we put them?" - Gaelscoil

Parents, staff, pupils and members of the wider Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí community are holding a 48 hour campaign as part of a bigger protest to save their school.

After 24 years in prefabs and numerous delays, all stages had finally been approved and the new school building was ready to get underway in the coming weeks. There was a huge sense of relief and anticipation among the school community, especially considering that the prefabs after 24 years of constant use are in a state of deterioration.

But the rug was pulled out from under them when news broke that Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí was one of 58 schools nationally for which funding had been put on hold. No timeframe has been given and so there are very real fears that the delay will be lengthy given that the original tender expires in a matter of days. 

At a protest in the school grounds on Friday morning, members of the Parents' Association told DonegalLive: "We are so angry that we have to come out and do this when the building is ready to go. It shouldn't have come to this.

"We have been quiet for far too long. Our children deserve better."

Parents who had been highlighting the campaign by tagging Education Minister Norma Foley's official social media Twitter account have reported being blocked, and comments disabled.

The minister will be in Donegal next week to open a number of schools and the Gaelscoil community is calling on her to visit their school to see the conditions in which the children are being educated. They would like her to meet representatives to discuss the matter, particularly given that the school is shovel-ready and that this delay could set them back years as they would have to repeat the tender process.

If she does not agree to come and meet representatives, the Gaelscoil family is prepared to take the protest to her.

The minister's announcement of free school books for primary schools, while broadly welcome, feels like a kick in the teeth for children sitting in mouldy prefabs.

Their message is: "Thanks for the free books Norma. But where will be put them?"