Dunmore — Parents of five primary school pupils in rural Novum Limium have launched a campaign to prevent the closure of their local school, warning that their children could face journeys of almost two hours each way if the state government proceeds with plans to shut it down.
St Brigid’s Primary School is among several small schools being reviewed by the Novum Limium Department of Education as part of efforts to reduce spending. With enrolment having fallen to just five pupils, officials have recommended closing the school at the end of the next academic year and transferring its remaining students to a larger school approximately 70 kilometres away.
“These are children as young as six. They’re talking about putting them on a bus before seven in the morning and not getting them home until the evening,” said local parent Sarah Kelleher, whose two children attend St Brigid’s. “I understand that five pupils isn’t a lot, but that doesn’t mean our children deserve any less of an education.”
The proposed closure has also raised questions about the financial savings involved. While the department has cited the cost of maintaining a school with so few pupils, it has not published an estimate of the additional transport costs. Local councillor Patrick Devlin said the government could not credibly claim savings without accounting for the expense of transporting children across the countryside twice a day.
A spokesperson for Premier Paul Durbin’s government said no final decision had been taken and that transport arrangements, educational standards, and the needs of affected families would be considered before any closure was approved. Parents have requested a meeting with Durbin and are calling for the school to remain open while alternatives, including shared teaching arrangements with neighbouring schools, are examined. “We’re not asking for special treatment,” Kelleher said. “We’re asking them to remember that there are five actual children behind the figures on their spreadsheet.”
RICH CORDON, National Correspondent
