Continuing violence in north Belfast is forcing whole families to move away and poses a potential long-term threat to Catholic schools in the area, it was claimed today.
Father Aiden Troy, chairman of the board of governors at Holy Cross girls primary school in Ardoyne which was at the centre of violent loyalist protest last year said "education is under attack".
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Father Aiden Troy
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He revealed a dramatic drop in applications for places at the school for the new school year in September but said the problem was wider than the situation at Holy Cross.
There were continuing arson attacks on schools, masked men bursting in among pupils and the street disorder.
"I know there are some whole families moving away from the area because of the unrest. It's not just Holy Cross, it affects the boys' schools as well, primary and secondary together, it could be much wider," he said.
Fr Troy added: "Primary schools are the feeder schools, this could be a warning sign to us, it is very worrying."
He called on politicians to take "urgent action" to address the situation.
With less than three weeks until the summer holidays, the number of pupils enrolled for entry to Primary I at Holy Cross in September has halved.
Fr Troy, said only 19 pupils had been enrolled and he added that the three-month protest at the gates had a "significant" impact on local parents when they were deciding where to send their daughters.
Another 15 pupils already in the school had been moved away during the past academic year because of the trouble, he revealed.
He said if the trend continued the long-term viability of the school on the site would be in question. While closure was not an immediate option, Fr Troy underlined the gravity of the situation: "Obviously it is critical, because if you have a drop of the proportion of the figures we have here, that's very, very serious.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, it is very serious."
Meanwhile, a brother of convicted Ulster Freedom Fighters' leader Johnny Adair was jailed for six months today for riotous behaviour at Holy Cross last year. James Adair was also given a concurrent four months for obstructing police.
PA