Madam, – There are ongoing efforts in Lucan to establish the country’s first Educate Together second-level school (Education Today, April 13th). Readers of the article could be forgiven for thinking that the only problem with second-level provision in the Lucan area is the absence of an Educate Together school to cater for the wishes of parents who would prefer that option.
Referring to existing second-level schools in Lucan and surrounding areas which are under the patronage of Co Dublin VEC, parent Meena Baskarasubramanian sums it up neatly: “There are three community colleges already in Lucan. Why set up another one?” There are, in fact, many very good reasons for setting up “another one”. Here are just three of them.
1. In the 15 years from 1991 to 2006, the population of the Lucan-Esker Electoral Division leapt from 3,099 to 25,828. There is little doubt that next year’s census will record a population well in excess of 30,000.
This population includes an unusually high proportion of young families. Recent years have seen a very large increase in the number of school places available locally at primary level. This has not been matched by a comparable increase at second-level and consequently, a huge shortfall now exists.
2. An Educate Together second-level school would discriminate in favour of pupils who had been to one of its primary schools, whereas the non-designated, multi-denominational, co-educational school proposed by Co Dublin VEC would serve the entire community of Lucan South.
3. The site on which the first second-level school for Lucan South is to be built was secured as a direct result of the sustained and intensive campaign efforts of Lucan South Secondary School Action Group (LSSSAG). The amendments made to South Dublin County Council’s Local Area Plan for Clonburris to make provision for a second-level school for the existing community of Lucan South were presented by LSSSAG to local councillors and were successfully adopted because we made a compelling case for a new school for our community. We did that work and achieved that result on behalf of all parents and children in Lucan South, not just some of them.
LSSSAG therefore calls on the Minister for Education to uphold the original decision made by her department to grant patronage of the first second-level school for Lucan South to Co Dublin VEC.
So where does this leave the local campaign for an Educate Together second-level school? The answer to that is very clear.
The results of LSSSAG’s local school surveys and in-depth analysis of official census data show that at least two very large second-level schools are required to meet the educational needs of the rapidly growing young population of Lucan South. The Department of Education is also aware of this and has acknowledged it.
An additional site for a local second-level school should therefore be located as soon as possible. This would allow the existing site to meet the needs of the wider community, while the second site could facilitate the wishes of those parents seeking an alternative educational model at second-level. – Yours, etc,