Donegal County Council asked to intervene in Education Support Centre move

Members of the Municipal District (MD) of Donegal have asked Donegal County Council to intervene in an effort to reverse the decision to move Donegal Education Support Centre to Letterkenny.

The centre has operated in Donegal Town for 27 years, providing support and training to teachers and SNAs at the main hub, through outreach centres across the county, and increasingly, online.

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The Management Committee announced recently that they had made the decision to move the facility to Mountaintop, Letterkenny, claiming to have done so with ‘extensive consultation and collaboration with school leaders, teachers, staff and other stakeholders.’

A statement announcing the move went on to say: “The Management Committee made the decision to establish a more centralised and accessible hub for educational development in Donegal.”

The statement also included comments from two educators welcoming the move. Both of these educators are part of the management committee as listed on Donegal Education Support Centre’s website.

Raised at MD Meeting

Cathaoirleach of Donegal MD, Cllr Noel Jordan (SF), raised the matter at the January meeting of Donegal MD, held on Tuesday, January 14. He called on Donegal County Council to write to the Management Committee and to the Department of Education, asking them to reverse the decision.

Cllr Jordan cited the economic loss to the area and disruption to staff who he said had not been consulted, as well as unnecessary spending of public funds as reasons for opposing the move.

Such a decision should only be made at an AGM or EGM, he added.

He was supported by Cllr Jimmy Brogan (Ind), who said: “Their AGM was cancelled at short notice. I think it was because they didn't want the AGM to  be held in Dongeal Town. I believe that the AGM should be held as soon as possible.

“It seems like they are holding back till they are moved to Letterkenny.”

Cllr Manus Boyle (FG) said: “When you lose something, it is very hard to get it back. It is very bad to see this leaving Donegal Town.”

Area Manager of Housing and Corporate Services in Donegal MD, Pauric Sheerin told councillors that he would see that the letters were issued, conveying the sentiments expressed by councillors.

Big Shock

After the meeting, Cllr Jordan told Donegallive.ie that he felt very strongly that this move should not take place.  

“It has come as a big shock to a lot of the staff in there, although management is saying there was consultation with staff,” he said. “I would say it was with little or no consultation.

“This is something that has been in the town for 27 years. It is not a great message to be sending out that Donegal Town is not centralised for business. 

“Not alone has the staff been impacted and it is going to mean them having to travel to Letterkenny - it's about a 100km round trip up to Mountaintop - but I don’t think this was thought out at all.

“As I said, it has been in the town for a long, long time and it is going to have an impact on businesses such as cafés and restaurants, and actually on the teachers in the south of Donegal and the SNAs. They also weren’t consulted about this either really. They don’t want to be stuck in traffic in Letterkenny. 

“And the management seems to have forgotten that there are a lot of teachers and SNAs in south Donegal that now have to travel to Letterkenny.”

Cllr Jordan questioned the cost of the move.

“There isn’t a school in Donegal that isn’t in need of funding for things like new buildings or extra resources for children with additional needs,” he said. “I would call on the department and on the management and on the department to explain how they can justify this spend on something that isn’t needed when there is so much funding needed in schools all over the county.”

Massive Loss

Mayor of Donegal Town Pauric Kennedy said in November when rumours of the relocation were rife, that the move did not make sense, and would be a massive loss to Donegal Town.

He said: “I am told that the reason given for the relocation is that it is ‘inconvenient’ for teachers to travel to Donegal Town for training days once or twice a year. I am at a total loss to see how going to Letterkenny to be stuck in traffic for God knows how long would be any more convenient for them. 

“Any teachers I chat to enjoy coming to Donegal Town. They are not sitting in traffic and they can get parked easily and affordably. 

“And we are talking about relocating six staff to do a round trip commute of 100km, adding to the congestion in and around Letterkenny, and all of it totally unnecessary.”

Parliamentary Question

Former TD Thomas Pringle brought the matter to the Dáil. Minister for Education Norma Foley responded to his Dáil question, acknowledging that her department had been informed of plans to relocate Donegal Education Centre but she stressed that such decisions ultimately fell to local management.

“My Department has been informed that the management committee is currently considering relocating the centre and that it has engaged with stakeholders in this regard. My Department will continue to engage with the Centre as required to ensure that the Centre is providing optimum support to fulfil its statutory remit and in line with public financial policy,” said Minister Foley.