Minister’s Proposal for Formal VEC/ Educate Together Partnership in Lucan South Second Level School Recognises Diversity of Local Views in Lucan
Issued : Wednesday 28 July, 2010
“ I welcome the proposal of the Minister for Education and Skills that County Dublin VEC and Educate Together should collaborate in developing a Designated Community College on the agreed site at Clonburris, south Lucan” says Cllr Eamon Tuffy(Labour Councillor for the Lucan Area).( See Below)
“ From the outset, at the very first meeting establishing the Lucan Educate Together Second Level Patronage campaign in the Finnstown House Hotel over two years ago, I have recommended to Educate Together that existing Vocational Education Legislation, might be used as a mechanism to make a significant advance towards Educate Together’s objective of Patronage Status. My recommendation was based on extensive practical and research knowledge on the enabling powers of the Vocational Education Acts which had contributed so much to vital initiatives in Irish Education, including the RTCs( now Institutes of Technology), the Designated Community College model introduced 25 years ago by County Dublin VEC and the Archdiocese of Dublin, and the All Irish Community Colleges. I am delighted that the Minister has now decided to use the VE Legislation and the Designated Community College model to introduce what could be an exciting and innovative model for school governance at second level.”
“ As a person who spent most of my working life in the VEC /Institute of Technology sectors and who has been fortunate to have had a long involvement as a VEC member and member of Boards of Management of VEC and Community schools, I am confident that the legislation underpinning VEC Education ensures that the VEC approach at all levels provides a system of educational governance which is inclusive, democratically accountable, co-educational and fully multi –denominational. In the latter context I have to express my disappointment, as a Labour public representative, with the statement of my colleague, Ruari Quinn, my Party’s Spokesperson on Education and Skills that “ the VEC sector… (is) opposed to the development of multi-denominational education in our secondary schools”. If Ruari really believes this, his experience of the day to day operations of VEC schools and colleges, training centres, adult education centres, youth organisations must have been completely different from my own.”
“ As a Lucan Councillor I know that the Ministerial decision some years ago to provide a second level school for south Lucan was a direct product of a well researched and forceful campaign of the Lucan South Secondary School Action Group(LSSSAG). That group was and is representative of parents of children attending Primary schools under the governance of different types of patronage, including the Catholic Archdiocese and Educate Together. LSSAG welcomed the initial decision that the school should be a Non-designated Community College run by the VEC. I hope that as the details of a Designated Community College, with Educate Together as a Partner are worked out, that the proposed new arrangements will be fully acceptable to the LSSSAG, and that the group can continue its campaign for an early start to the actual building of the school at the Clonburris site.
…. ENDS. For further information contact Eamon at 0863863173
Cllr 
