People power and political pressure in final effort to halt Education Centre move

The long-awaited rescheduled AGM of Donegal Education Support Centre is taking place this week.

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But the controversy surrounding the centre relocation and the postponement of the AGM in January continues. Instead of being held in the centre in Donegal Town where a large number of teachers and SNAs from south Donegal were expected to attend, it is taking place in the Radisson Hotel in Letterkenny on Wednesday, March 26.

A public meeting in Donegal Town on Thursday last heard from local school principal Alison Pasquier, who had previously indicated her intention to speak about the facility’s relocation to Letterkenny at the January AGM. The meeting was subsequently cancelled just hours before it was due to take place.

Regarding the rescheduled meeting taking place in Letterkenny, she said: “This meeting should be taking place in Donegal Town. Is this an attempt to silence those who are opposed to the move? This is not about Donegal Town or Letterkenny, this is about fairness and respect and ensuring that teachers and SNAs continue to receive best support.”

She spoke about the round trip commute of 110km that will be faced by staff at the centre, in a move that will facilitate a very small number of teachers who only attend for a few days per year.

The move continues to lead to much head-scratching across the teaching and business communities, and in a unified show of support from across the political spectrum in Donegal.

A topic that was raised at the public meeting hosted by the Save Our Education Centre committee was that the decision was signed off by the Department of Education on the basis of a business plan. A number of public representatives have asked to see the business plan, but it has not been forthcoming. 

Indeed, the TDs, senators and councillors present all voiced their frustration at the wall of silence with which they were met when trying to engage with the management committee of Donegal Education Centre.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on finance, Deputy Pearse Doherty said that while he had been hopeful that Minister Helen McEntee would carry out an investigation following a meeting with public representatives, those hopes were dashed with a letter in which she said the department had carried out an analysis and saw no breach of law or governance. 

This is despite staff members and numerous teachers and school principals saying they had not been consulted as claimed by the management committee.

Deputy Doherty said that the move to Letterkenny was costing money, so the only way the move could be viable financially would be if satellite centres in west Donegal and Inishowen were being closed.

“To anyone thinking ‘this doesn’t affect me,’ think again,” he said. “This move means that if you are in west Donegal or Inishowen, you will have to jump in your car after school and head up to the Mountaintop.”

Deputy Doherty was among public representatives who called on Donegal Education Centre members (past and present teachers), to go to the AGM and use their voice - despite the relocation not even being on the  agenda.

Deputy Charles Ward (100% Redress) also made this plea, saying: “Get in contact with every teacher and get them into Letterkenny for that AGM.”

Other representatives who are continuing to apply political pressure are  Senator Manus Boyle, Senator Nessa Cosgrove, and Save Our Education Centre committee members, Cllr Noel Jordan and Cllr Jimmy Brogan. Cllrs Niamh Kennedy, Micheál Naughton and Michael McMahon were also present at the meeting to show their support.

Buses are being provided to get people to the meeting to ensure that south Donegal has a voice at the AGM. 

Staff member Ann Meehan  thanked everyone for the support she and her colleagues have been shown.

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