Dear Madam, - Reading the letters in the paper last week, I felt compelled to write and comment. As a parent of a child in P.6. and so considering what is best for their future education, I was rather irritated reading a letter by JN Morton. In it he talks about the successes of Portora Boat Club and how the governors of the school have “for many years supported and resourced a coaching and competitive programme available to all young people in the county regardless of gender, religion, socio-economic status or academic achievement.” I don’t want to knock the successes of the boat club or the athletes who very rightly should be congratulated for their achievements. However, I can’t help but wonder if this energy and money had been put into the school building itself whether it would have been in a better state of repair. A consequence perhaps being that Portora’s Board of Governors/Fermanagh Board of Protestant Education might not have been so keen on pursuing, nor would they have needed, a forced amalgamation for its sustainability.

Maybe this is a very simplistic view but can I also add that the females in this county have always been more than capable of matching their male counterparts through their achievements in the Collegiate Grammar School as evidenced by their hugely successful tag rugby team. While the Collegiate may not have a boat club (just like the other Enniskillen schools), they do have a school which is in good repair and in need of much less capital investment than Portora. They have also been showing for years what JN Morton says is “possible when differences are put aside in pursuit of excellence”, they are after all a non-denominational school. The Collegiate, through the Fermanagh Learning Community, are already aware of the success which is possible with “shared education… in a small community with limited resources”. As mentioned, Fermanagh has always had plentiful supplies of water and goodwill. While the water is in no risk of running out any time soon, my goodwill towards those who have been making decisions about education in this county definitely has. Goodwill, which has apparently been “frequently obscured by argument and short-sightedness”. I know I’m not alone in my frustrations, clearly outlined by another letter from the same week regarding St. Eugene’s and the closure of rural schools. Sadly, the Collegiate/Portora case doesn’t say much for the value put on the will of the people. When the objections of so many can be completely ignored, that is something all communities should be concerned about regardless of your background or what school you are fighting for. The opinions of those who use the service don’t seem to count for much and getting consensus doesn’t seem to be worth the hassle. We can only hope for a positive outcome from the judicial review into the plans brought forward but as always the people who are affected the most are meanwhile kept in the dark and uncertain of the future. Worst of all, those most affected in this case are children of 9 - 11 years of age, though we shouldn’t be surprised when you consider the implications of getting rid of the 11+ without putting something in its place first. What we can be pretty sure of though, is that there is little money for one new school let alone two and so my children’s generation will almost certainly not see improvement on the current situation and will arguably have worse facilities and conditions, fewer staff, etc. in school than their parents had.

Furthermore, I can only feel sorry for those from the Collegiate sitting on the interim board of governors of what is a forced marriage against the will of 7,000 petition signatories. These people were told they could either sit on the board to represent the Collegiate community or alternative arrangements would be made. I was appalled by this stance and can only imagine how those who have fought so hard against this proposal and were put into this situation are now feeling.

The Collegiate argument has never been about the saving of an institution but rather the saving of a school which excels at what it does for all who attend it and more. When will those making the decisions start looking at what works already and build on that rather than tearing it down? Will we be able to trust the ‘new’ Education Authority or the Department of Education to actually deliver on promises? What works in other areas isn’t necessarily what will work in rural Fermanagh. As it stands today though school choices include a proposed amalgamated split site school on an island town, a school (Devenish College) which is losing 20 per cent of its teaching staff and in need of a new build for the last 10-15 years and Erne Integrated College. Yours faithfully, Disappointed and Dismayed Parent Name and address supplied