Cymdeithas challenge to Carmarthenshire Education Chiefs

Cymdeithas yr Iaith have hit out at the pressure which Carmarthenshire
County Council have exerted on Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen which is a 3-site
federation. By changing the funding formula to discriminate against
smaller schools , and by removing the allowance for federations, the
Council are trying to force the Governors to close two of the sites in
the small villages of Llanycrwys and Ffarmers. Parents have been given
just 3 weeks notice that their school sites could close.

Cymdeithas Dyfed organiser Angharad Clwyd said, "This is a federated
school which has maintained an educational presence for the last decade
in a number of small Welsh-speaking communities. It has been so
successful educationally that pupil numbers have increased substantially
over the decade. The Council is using its control of the purse-strings
to force through its dogmatic fit-all policy of centralised Area Schools
and is pressing the Governors to do their dirty work for them. The
Council have unilaterally changed the funding formula insisting that
they are not obliged to consult at all on this.

Ms Clwyd added, "This is not even an issue of cost, but rather an issue
of Real Estate. The Council are willing to pay £25,000 for a glorified
portacabin at Cwm-an to accommodate all the extra children from the two
smaller villages, and are willing to ignore all environmental concerns
by paying tens of thousands of pounds each year to transport the samll
children backwards and forwards. If they just gave this money back to
the Governors, there would be no problem in maintaining the successful
federation and education in all the communities. The real reason for
this move is that they want to sell off the two schools to raise funds
for their expensive plans for centralised schools, and care not about
the educational and social disruption. Why don't they just become Estate
Agents ?"

Cymdeithas members will be asking Governors (ahead of a meeting with
parents tonight) not to co-operate with the County Council. Parents are
also holding an Open Public Meeting on the issue tomorrow (Thursday)
evening in Ffarmers at 8pm.

Mwy yn yr un categori(au): News
.