Three Traveller children who are the only pupils in a Co Galway school may end up moving to another school in the area, the school board chairman said yesterday.
Father Seán Kilbane is chairman of St Joseph's school in Ballinruane, which saw its 12 pupils withdrawn when eight Traveller children enrolled last year. Yesterday, just three Travellers children started the new school year in Ballinruane, and the staff has been halved to one teacher.
Father Kilbane said it was unlikely the school would be left open in the long term with just three pupils. "They have a lovely school and a good teacher. They have everything but they don't have settled people to play with and mix with."
There were three other schools in the area and he was sure these schools would welcome the children if the school had to close. The 12 former pupils of Ballinruane were now in two of these schools, but he did not expect those parents would withdraw their children if Traveller children enrolled.
A Department of Education spokeswoman said a decision on the school would be made later in the school year.
Meanwhile, the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM) said lessons should be learned from the "unfortunate situation" so that something similar could not happen again.
Mr Thomas McCann, ITM equality officer, said it was a very unfortunate situation for the three children who would be on their own when they should be mixing with other children. "It's unfortunate too for the children who were removed because you have to ask what kind of message they are getting. It's a pity that kids were the ones who were used in all of this."
Mr McCann praised the school for refusing to back down despite pressure from the parents of the settled pupils. Had this happened it would have set a dangerous precedent. "It would result in completely segregated education."
