EDUCATION Minister Peter Weir has poured cold water on a proposal that could have seen St Mary’s High School in Brollagh collaborating with schools in south Donegal.  
Two years ago Mr Weir’s predecessor, Sinn Fein’s John O’Dowd, rejected plans to close the school outside Belleek in favour of pursuing opportunities for a new cross-Border learning community.

Read more: St. Mary's Brollagh closure plan rejected by Education Minister
SDLP MLA Richie McPhillips asked Minister Weir this week to reassure pupils and families that the school “will not close in the foreseeable future” and suggested that plans to merge it with a school in Donegal appear “to have stalled.”
In response, Minister Weir, who visited Fermanagh yesterday (Wednesday), said: “I understand that the previous Minister asked the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to look at the options and the possibility of a cross-Border delivery model as an alternative to closure. At that stage, work was developed by CCMS.

Impartial Reporter:
“I think that there was analysis at that stage, dated from 2014 into 2015, that the cross-Border approach would neither be cost-effective nor its quality threshold assured. That clearly did not appear to be a runner.”


Minister Weir said the proposal “simply does not appear to be doable.”
“What is important is that the first level of engagement is with CCMS, as it is essentially the provider body. I have asked that it engages with the school, particularly on future provision.”
 “If an invitation comes in, I would be more than happy to consider it.”