Sisters to determine length of school journey

THE Mercy Sisters are expected to make a decision after next week’s general election which will determine whether or not dozens of girls in Galway and Clare must double their journey to school.

They will wait until after the election to decide on the Department of Education’s request to continue enrolling first year students at Seamount College in Kinvara, Co Galway, from September until 2011. The nuns announced last October that the school would be closed in 2009, but this was extended earlier this year arising from a strong local campaign against the move.

The order also announced in October that the school would no longer take new enrolments, meaning dozens of girls in south Galway and north Clare must seek alternative second level schools each autumn.

Fianna Fáil minister of state Tony Killeen and party colleague Noel Treacy announced yesterday that the Department of Education has sanctioned the provision of a new second level school in Kinvara. But, they said, this is only on condition that the Mercy Sisters accept first year students up to September 2011, to allow time for a new school to be built.

The Rescue Seamount campaign welcomed the announcement, which could also eventually lead to boys being offered second level education in the town, although this has yet to be decided by the Department of Education.

The Mercy Sisters order said the order’s provincial team would discuss the communications received from the Department of Education in the coming days and would then meet with officials to discuss the issue.

A spokesperson said the decision to close was based on a projected fall in student numbers.